According to the property listing posted by the real estate broker, the asking price for the building is $4 million. However, the Diocese of Montreal does not want the site to fall victim to speculation; rather, the Diocese would like the site to remain a place of Christian worship, without closing the door to residential development, as long as it includes social housing and family units.
While the future of places of worship is a concern for both the diocese and the City of Montreal, the lack of funds for their maintenance and redevelopment is a significant issue. Municipalities are drafting heritage interest statements with the goal of protecting their significant heritage, but “it comes with requirements that the owners are not able to meet. […] We are asked to maintain our heritage, but we don’t have the means to do so,” according to Caroline Clermont, who is responsible for buildings in the Diocese of Montreal, in an article in the Journal Métro of February 16, 2021 (in French, free translation). In the same article, William Gaudry, executive director of the Atelier d’histoire de Mercier – Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, “deplores the fact that the protection of religious heritage is done piecemeal in emergency situations. In his opinion, a recurring funding strategy by region for all churches must be put in place.”
The church was eventually acquired by Groupe Carosielli, the owner of the Rialto Theatre, with the intention of transforming the site into an event space.