header site background image
Back to map

Citizen alert

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul old penitentiary

160, montée Saint-François, Laval

Contribute to this page

2454

Views on this page

Published on : May 11 2021

Last modified on : July 16 2025

Alert submitted by: Wendy Latendresse

The Old Penitentiary of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul was designated a “National Historic Site of Canada” in 1990, the year after its closure. Since then, it has fallen into disrepair and neglect.

Inaugurated in 1873, the building was greatly modified and expanded, notably in the 1930s and 1940s when new wings were added. Until its closure in 1989, it remained the only French-speaking federal prison.

Add additionnal information
slider image

Vieux pénitencier de Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

Source: Service correctionnel Canada

keyboard_arrow_left
keyboard_arrow_right

The old penitentiary, abandoned for over 30 years, is frequently the subject of discussions between the City of Laval and the federal government regarding its repurposing and future. In fact, Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer met with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, in late February 2022 to discuss regional issues, including the future of the old penitentiary.

In 2018, the organization Jeun’Est en forme commissioned the firm Convercité to carry out a diagnostic profile of the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul neighborhood, with the goal of assessing the relevance of implementing an Integrated Urban Revitalization (IUR) approach. As noted in the report, the mandate “reflects the City of Laval’s commitment to planning its territory based on in-depth knowledge of the area,” and the old penitentiary could serve as a key and defining element of that planning.

That same year, a strategic divestment process was initiated with the goal of transferring the property to Canada Lands Company (CLC). The transfer is expected to be completed sometime in 2025. The federal government aims to repurpose the building into affordable housing and community spaces.

  • Municipality or borough

    Ajouter

    CIty of Laval

  • Issues

    Ajouter

    Mechanisms for protection

  • Owner(s)

    Ajouter

    Public: federal government

  • Threat(s)

    Ajouter

    Vacant

    No upkeep

    Lack of knowledge

    Demolition

  • Conception

    Ajouter

    Unknown

  • Manager(s)

    Ajouter

    Federal government

  • Categorie(s)

    Ajouter

    Institutional

  • Construction year

    Ajouter

    1873, 1930s-40s

  • Recognition status

    Ajouter

    National Historic Site of Canada

background image

Take action!

The actions of Heritage Montreal are sometimes direct and public, sometimes more discreet, but heritage is everyone’s concern. With Memento, we want to support your ambitions, your ideas and your actions. Whether your role is that of an explorer, revealer, protector, ideator or investor, this platform will help us to maintain together a coherent action to protect and enhance our metropolitan heritage.

Toolkit

Other heritage sites

Join the discussion

How do you see this Montreal site? What legacy has it left us? What future can we create for it? Where to start to get there? Who wants to participate in the project?

You have questions? Want to do more, but lack the information? Consult our toolkit to learn more about the heritage of the Montreal metropolitan area, the preservation mechanisms in place and possible actions.

Additionnal information

Contribute to the content of this page!

priority_high

Form submission failed. Please try again.

priority_high

No new information entered

priority_high

Invalid email format

priority_high

Must match

priority_high

Empty required field

Submit close