The student choir of F.A.C.E. school in downtown Montreal protested through song outside City Hall on Monday evening in an effort to convince officials to stop their century-old school from being rezoned and sold to private interests.
“F.A.C.E. is a unique, bilingual, inter-generational school. As far as I know, it’s completely unique in this province,” said Victoria May, the parent of a F.A.C.E. student. “It’s an incredible way of blending academia and fine arts into the educational program.”
The melodious demonstration comes after the Quebec Education Ministry announced it would be cancelling a planned renovation of the school following a cost assessment that estimated the project at $375 million.
During a city council meeting taking place at the same time as the musical protest, May asked municipal politicians to intervene in any potential sale by not approving zoning changes.
“If you could guarantee the protection, it would prevent the building from being sold, and that protection must explicitly include preventing sales to private schools, hotels or other private entities,” she said. “The zoning must remain dedicated to a public institutional space, not a commercial venture.”
Alex Norris, city councillor for the district of Jeanne-Mance, responded, calling the provincial government’s announcement “very disturbing.”
“We share your concerns,” he said, adding there are no plans to change the zoning “at this time.”
Norris acknowledged that F.A.C.E. is the last remaining public school in downtown Montreal.
“We are fearful that if the government sticks to its plan, that building could become an empty, abandoned heritage building that would deteriorate over time,” he said.
The students, parents and overall F.A.C.E. community are demanding that the building stay in the public school system, preventing it from being sold to developers who could convert the site into luxury condos.
The school is co-directed by the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) and the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM).
In a joint statement earlier this month, the two educational institutions confirmed that the students will be permanently divided into two separate buildings currently under renovation.
The cost of renovating both schools is slightly over $200 million.
