Summary#
Montréal city council approved an amendment extending the City’s lease to Réseau de la santé sexuelle des sourds du Québec (RSSSQ). The extension is for 18 months starting January 1, 2026, for community use of 1,660.55 square feet on the second floor of 2075 rue Plessis. City staff say the extension lets RSSSQ continue its activities while building work is pending.
- The rent is $3,901.62 before taxes for the full 18 months.
- The amendment changes the lease term, the return of the space, and the 90-day termination clause; the materials do not give the revised wording for the last two changes.
- RSSSQ must arrange the space and handle its cleaning and routine repairs. It is not responsible for work to the building’s structure or mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
What it means for you#
- RSSSQ: It can remain in the space for the additional 18 months, under the amended lease terms.
- People served by RSSSQ: City staff describe the organization as serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, including people affected by HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. The decision does not create a new service or guarantee access to one.
- The City: It continues to lease the space and will record the rent as revenue in the real-estate strategy service’s operating budget. The council adopted the decision unanimously.
Money#
The lease brings in $3,901.62 before taxes over 18 months; the materials do not give an estimate of the decision’s additional public cost.
- The rent excludes applicable sales taxes. The staff summary lists total receipts of $4,485.89 including taxes.
- City staff estimate the below-market rent represents a property subsidy of $29,715.54, based on an estimated market range of $11 to $16 per square foot and an average lease rate of $1.57 per square foot.
- The summary estimates the City’s 2025 energy and routine maintenance costs for the space at about $16,112. It does not say how much of that cost will continue or change during the extension.
What is unclear#
- The decision does not provide the revised terms for returning the space or for the 90-day termination clause.
- The summary says a second phase of building-envelope work is expected to start in spring 2027, but does not explain what happens to RSSSQ’s space or activities if the work affects them.
- The materials do not explain how the estimated $29,715.54 subsidy is treated in the City’s budget.
Case for#
- The extension gives RSSSQ more time in its existing space while building work is pending.
- City staff say the space is not needed for municipal purposes and that the lease brings in revenue.
- A possible argument for the below-market rent is that it supports continued community use of a building that already houses community organizations.
Case against#
- The estimated subsidy means the City receives substantially less rent than its own estimate of market value for the space.
- The materials do not set out what alternatives were considered, or explain how the City weighed the subsidy against the benefit of keeping RSSSQ in the space.