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Who should the abandoned Canada Malting site in St-Henri belong to?

According to an activist group in the area, it should belong to the community — hence their name: À nous la Malting.

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The site is directly beside the Lachine Canal, making it a prime real estate area. Condos have popped up around St-Henri in recent years, and some community groups are fighting back against the effects of gentrification they say will push those with lower income out of the neighbourhood.

“It’s important that we have organizations like these to ensure we have space to stay here,” said Marie-Ève Bérard-Verdy, a resident of the area who has lived there 12 years. “Just because we don’t have much money doesn’t mean we’re bad people.”

A real-estate development company called Renwick Development has proposed to build condos on the site, which once held Canada’s second largest malting facility. Now the old factory sits in ruins, covered in graffiti and blocked off from public use.