Ottawa's green buildings fund commits $7.5 million to Montreal LGBTQ complex
Ottawa has committed $7.5 million to turn a Montreal building into what the government calls the first francophone LGBTQIA2S+ community complex in North America, from a fund meant to make community buildings greener.
Ottawa has committed $7.5 million to renovate a commercial building on rue Sainte-Catherine Est in Montreal’s Village into what the federal government calls the first francophone LGBTQIA2S+ community complex in North America, according to a Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada grant record and a July 9, 2026 news release.
The money comes from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program, a fund launched in 2021 with $1.5 billion and topped up with $500 million in Budget 2024. Its stated purpose is to make community buildings greener and lower carbon while serving what the program calls equity-seeking groups. The agreement with the non-profit Espace LGBTQ+ runs from June 5, 2026 to March 31, 2029. The work listed in the record: bringing plumbing, electrical and ventilation systems up to standard, waterproofing the foundations, restoring the brick facades, and adding a mezzanine and an elevator, plus support spaces, co-working areas, offices and an event hall. The release adds a third floor with a green roof.
Quebec is adding $3 million and the City of Montreal says it has contributed $1,025,000 in total, including $400,000 toward buying the building, for what the release calls a joint investment of nearly $12 million ("près de 12 millions de dollars"). Quebec’s office against homophobia and transphobia gave Espace LGBTQ+ a separate $150,000 in March 2026. The building is at 929 rue Sainte-Catherine Est. The group earlier told CBC it had waited 14 months for a federal answer.
The program belongs to Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, appointed to cabinet by Mark Carney on May 13, 2025. Robertson is quoted in the release saying community buildings "sont bien plus que des infrastructures : ce sont des lieux où les gens trouvent du soutien" (are much more than infrastructure: they are places where people find support). The federal announcers were Steven Guilbeault, MP for Laurier-Sainte-Marie, and Marie-Gabrielle Ménard, MP and parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality. Board chair Désirée Nore Duchesne called the combined funding "un engagement concret envers les communautés LGBTQIA2S+" (a concrete commitment). About fifteen unnamed organizations are to move in.
The public grant record puts no number on the emissions cuts it promises.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.
https://mybook.to/sheila
