In September 2013, the Anglican Diocese sold the property to a private corporation, which immediately submitted a proposal to demolish the church and build seven new housing units. Following a mobilization by local residents to preserve the church, 224 people signed a registry in March 2016 to demand a referendum (only 166 signatures were required). In April 2016, the borough council announced the cancellation of the housing project.

Since 2005, the church had been listed in the borough’s Urban Plan as a building of heritage and architectural interest (outside the “exceptional value” category). However, in January 2016, a by-law was adopted by the city council (central city) to remove the church from the list to allow for the proposed redevelopment.

The church had been closed since 2012, and no maintenance or repair work was carried out by the new owner for three years, as demolition was planned. A technical assessment of the building, conducted in June 2015, identified urgent repairs and outlined a five-year plan for restoring the church.

In December 2015, the church’s ten stained-glass windows were removed without authorization by the owner—prior even to the referendum process. Despite multiple citations and notices of violation issued by the borough (under pressure from the citizens’ group), the windows were never reinstalled. Legal proceedings followed. In place of the stained glass, the owner installed crude, non-sealed plywood boards, disfiguring the facade and visual character of the neighbourhood and likely contributing to the further deterioration of the church’s interior. Two of the original stained-glass windows ended up at the Canadian Centre for the Great War, while the remaining eight were stored in the basement of the nearby St. Ansgar Parish. Several of them were badly damaged during their removal.

The citizens’ group advocating for the church regularly petitioned the borough council to force the owner to replace the plywood with either new stained glass or at least sealed windows—without success.

The adjacent parish hall (community centre) was vacated in December 2017, when both of its tenants—the religious community on the ground floor and the daycare centre that had occupied the first floor for over 30 years—left. As a result, both buildings on the site were left abandoned and unoccupied. This added to the growing concern over the church’s continuing deterioration, especially since the owner made no effort to maintain or restore the property.

Concerned residents notified the Fire Department, which at the time was unaware that the two buildings had been vacated. The department committed to inspections every six months. Citizens also urged the borough office to conduct more frequent inspections—especially in winter—to verify whether minimal heating was being maintained inside the buildings.

In August 2021, over 60% of NDG residents voted in favour of demolishing the church to make way for a housing project. As reported by The Gazette, “The mail-in referendum resulted in 556 votes, including 337 in favour of the project and 219 against.” As a result, the church was demolished in 2023, and the parish house is being converted into three townhouses. For more information on the project: https://le4020.com/

By 2025, the project was completed. Six semi-detached homes were built on the site of the demolished church, and the former rectory was transformed into three townhouses.