--March 19, 2021.
The Right-Reverend Mary Irwin-Gibson,
Bishop of Montreal &
President of the Board of Directors of the Fulford Residence.
Anglican Diocese of Montreal,
1444 Union Ave.,
Montreal, QC
H3A 2B8
RE: The Fulford Residence
Dear Bishop Mary,
Over the past weeks there have been several articles in the local Montreal media concerning the proposed closure of the Fulford Residence. If this should occur, the elderly and in some cases frail women who presently live there will have their lives disrupted in the midst of our present pandemic.
The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network is requesting that the Diocese and the Board of the Fulford reconsider following through with this plan for closure for at least another six months or more, and also that they involve to a greater extent the families and other supporters of the residents in any future decisions.
The Fulford has had a long and admirable history and reputation in Montreal and is one of our oldest English-speaking institutions that focuses on the aged. It has provided a home-like and friendly environment for generations of women, many of whom had, and have, limited family and social contacts at this stage of their lives.
Our other concern is with the fate of the building and surrounding property itself. QAHN has always been a supporter of the preservation of heritage sites, built and natural, in Quebec. Montreal has little green space in its downtown core and fewer and fewer heritage structures. The Fulford is in what appears to be fairly good condition for a large house over 150 years old, and with some restoration and updating of infrastructure, could easily be maintained into the future. Although the garden area is not vast, at least it is there and is a visual and ecological asset among the oceans of cement that surround this location.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sandra Stock,
Director & Chair, Montreal Committee, QAHN