Residents Unite for Justice: Little Burgundy Housing Forum to Amplify Community Voices
The Housing Justice Forum will gather residents and advocates to stand up for housing rights and build people-powered policy.
Montreal, QC April 4, 2025 – The Montreal Citizens’ Committee will host the Little Burgundy Housing Justice Forum on May 5, 2025, at the Union United Church from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This peaceful, community-led event invites residents, neighbors, and civic leaders to come together and protect the historic Little Burgundy neighborhood from ongoing displacement caused by harmful housing policies and government overreach.
The forum will feature panel discussions with long-time residents, grassroots organizers, and guest speakers from advocacy organizations across Montreal. Topics will include resistance to urban renewal projects, the importance of preserving Black cultural spaces, and the creation of community-led policy alternatives that center dignity, affordability, and heritage. The event will also include an open mic portion, encouraging attendees to share stories, concerns, and visions for a future where no one is forced from their home.
“Our families have lived here for generations,” says Claudine Baptiste, a fictional spokesperson for the Montreal Citizens’ Committee. “We are not against growth we are against erasure. This forum is about finding solutions with the community, not for them.”
Since the 1960s, Little Burgundy has faced wave after wave of government-sanctioned evictions and redevelopment plans that have displaced thousands of residents—many of whom were working-class Black families. Today, as gentrification creeps back into the neighborhood under a new name, community members are once again organizing to resist displacement and reclaim decision-making power.
The Little Burgundy Housing Justice Forum is open to all members of the public and calls on Montrealers to stand in solidarity with Little Burgundy. Attendees will participate in breakout sessions to propose alternatives to top-down policy decisions and outline steps toward collaborative planning models that honor community voices.
With an emphasis on peaceful collaboration, storytelling, and action, this forum is more than an event it’s a step toward justice.
About the Montreal Citizens’ Committee
The Montreal Citizens’ Committee is a grassroots advocacy group dedicated to amplifying the voices of residents affected by housing policy and urban redevelopment in Little Burgundy. Formed in the 1960s, the group remains committed to civic participation, cultural preservation, and housing justice.
Contact Information:
For more information, email littleburgundycommittee@gmail.com or visit us in person at the Little Burgundy Community Centre.