The history of our building
Loyola Center began with the opening of Ste Catherine de Sienne school in the early 1950’s. The centre was operated by the city of Montreal under an agreement between the city and the Commission des écoles catholiques de Montréal (now the Commission scolaire de Montréal). Beginning in 1972 the center focused its activities primarily on children, teenagers and young adults. Through the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s, the city of Montreal increasingly developed collaboration with community organizations and accepted that services be provided by them with financial contributions from the city. In this context, Loyola Association for the Development for Youth was formalized in 1998 as a charitable organization with a primary focus on children (4-17 years) of the surrounding community. The Loyola Center provides educational, cultural, social and recreational programs to community. Programs aim to help participants develop skills such as cooperation, leadership, independent thinking, and build healthy interpersonal relationships.
The infrastructure used by the association to deliver programs is provided by the City of Montreal. The City has an obligation to fund recreation, enshrined in the city’s charter. One of the ways the City does this is by developing partnerships with non-profit organizations that offer the services. The partnership agreement between the city of Montreal and the association mandates the association to provide sports and recreation programs in exchange for a financial contribution from the city and also access to an installation in which to offer these programs.
Prior to 1992, the Centre’s activities all took place in Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne elementary school, and, in 1992, when the necessary rooms at the school could no longer house the Centre’s activities, prefabricated units were purchased and installed by the City of Montreal, with the intention of being a temporary solution to the lack of space. These prefabricated units had an anticipated 7-10 year lifespan, yet remained the home of the Loyola Centre far beyond that time. In 2010 serious concerns were raised about the structural integrity of the units, and an evaluation was done by engineers who anticipate that the structure could only stand for approximately five more year. A 2010 city report gave the “state of the building” a rating of 7 out of 40, the lowest score of any community centre in NDG and said that its replacement had to be a priority. Despite this, the Loyola Centre was never able to find a new location, until finally in 2015 the building was condemned by the department of public health due to a discovery of mold at Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne elementary school.
The city of Montreal found a temporary solution and moved the Loyola Centre to Focus and Outreach high school next door with an agreement signed for 2015-2018. In negotiating the move to Focus and Outreach school, it became apparent that the small gym at this location was incompatible with the needs of the teen program. Gym time was secured at two locations (Westhill gymnasium and Confederation gymnasiums) and the teen drop-in open gym program that services 200 teens annually became a satellite program from the main activities at Focus and Outreach school. The teens have expressed that they have felt the effect of being displaced. These youth have grown up with the team of animators at the Loyola Centre, and not being in the same building as the rest of the programs has affected their feeling of stability and it has been difficult to maintain these important relationships. These youth regularly express that they are looking forward to a future with more stability for them and their friends.
In 2017, municipal elected officials convened a committee to try to find a permanent solution to the problem of housing for three organizations, the Walkley community centre, the Loyola Centre and the NDG Food Depot. The construction of a new building was proposed that would combine the two community centres and the NDG Food Depot, giving all of them a new home. The committee submitted the report to the City of Montreal December 2017 proposing the construction of a building to be opened in 2020.
At the present time, the Loyola Centre remains at Focus-Outreach school. The three-year contract has ended, and the English Montreal School Board has agreed to allow the Centre to continue using the four classrooms and gymnasium used for programming until December 23rd. The school board has taken back the office the Loyola Centre had been using.
Beginning Wednesday, October 31st, the administrative office of the Association pour le développement jeunesse de Loyola was relocated to the Walkley Community Centre (6650 Côte Saint-Luc Rd).
The agreement for access to the classroom space and gymnasium may also be short-lived. In September 2019, Focus and Outreach high school will be relocated, and the building at 4850 Coronation Ave will house a new elementary school. In the coming months, the English Montreal School Board will be evaluating whether this new school will have the capacity to share space with the Loyola Centre.
Parents, community members and partner organizations have begun mobilizing to express that this instability is having negative effect on the youth of the community. We are disheartened by the news that we may be facing another move and we continue to advocate for a permanent facility for a community centre in the Loyola district where the entire community can live, learn and play together.
The infrastructure used by the association to deliver programs is provided by the City of Montreal. The City has an obligation to fund recreation, enshrined in the city’s charter. One of the ways the City does this is by developing partnerships with non-profit organizations that offer the services. The partnership agreement between the city of Montreal and the association mandates the association to provide sports and recreation programs in exchange for a financial contribution from the city and also access to an installation in which to offer these programs.
Prior to 1992, the Centre’s activities all took place in Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne elementary school, and, in 1992, when the necessary rooms at the school could no longer house the Centre’s activities, prefabricated units were purchased and installed by the City of Montreal, with the intention of being a temporary solution to the lack of space. These prefabricated units had an anticipated 7-10 year lifespan, yet remained the home of the Loyola Centre far beyond that time. In 2010 serious concerns were raised about the structural integrity of the units, and an evaluation was done by engineers who anticipate that the structure could only stand for approximately five more year. A 2010 city report gave the “state of the building” a rating of 7 out of 40, the lowest score of any community centre in NDG and said that its replacement had to be a priority. Despite this, the Loyola Centre was never able to find a new location, until finally in 2015 the building was condemned by the department of public health due to a discovery of mold at Sainte-Catherine-de-Sienne elementary school.
The city of Montreal found a temporary solution and moved the Loyola Centre to Focus and Outreach high school next door with an agreement signed for 2015-2018. In negotiating the move to Focus and Outreach school, it became apparent that the small gym at this location was incompatible with the needs of the teen program. Gym time was secured at two locations (Westhill gymnasium and Confederation gymnasiums) and the teen drop-in open gym program that services 200 teens annually became a satellite program from the main activities at Focus and Outreach school. The teens have expressed that they have felt the effect of being displaced. These youth have grown up with the team of animators at the Loyola Centre, and not being in the same building as the rest of the programs has affected their feeling of stability and it has been difficult to maintain these important relationships. These youth regularly express that they are looking forward to a future with more stability for them and their friends.
In 2017, municipal elected officials convened a committee to try to find a permanent solution to the problem of housing for three organizations, the Walkley community centre, the Loyola Centre and the NDG Food Depot. The construction of a new building was proposed that would combine the two community centres and the NDG Food Depot, giving all of them a new home. The committee submitted the report to the City of Montreal December 2017 proposing the construction of a building to be opened in 2020.
At the present time, the Loyola Centre remains at Focus-Outreach school. The three-year contract has ended, and the English Montreal School Board has agreed to allow the Centre to continue using the four classrooms and gymnasium used for programming until December 23rd. The school board has taken back the office the Loyola Centre had been using.
Beginning Wednesday, October 31st, the administrative office of the Association pour le développement jeunesse de Loyola was relocated to the Walkley Community Centre (6650 Côte Saint-Luc Rd).
The agreement for access to the classroom space and gymnasium may also be short-lived. In September 2019, Focus and Outreach high school will be relocated, and the building at 4850 Coronation Ave will house a new elementary school. In the coming months, the English Montreal School Board will be evaluating whether this new school will have the capacity to share space with the Loyola Centre.
Parents, community members and partner organizations have begun mobilizing to express that this instability is having negative effect on the youth of the community. We are disheartened by the news that we may be facing another move and we continue to advocate for a permanent facility for a community centre in the Loyola district where the entire community can live, learn and play together.
