{"id":916852,"date":"2026-10-01T17:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T17:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/916852\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T17:56:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T17:56:16","slug":"canada-malting-plant-could-collapse-at-any-moment-engineering-report-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/916852\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada Malting plant could collapse at any moment, engineering report says"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Canada Malting plant, which looms over Montreal\u2019s Sud-Ouest borough and is notably home to the mysterious \u201cpink house,\u201d could collapse at any moment, according to a new engineering report.<\/p>\n

The report says the structure \u2014 a mass of brick and concrete silos towering over the Lachine Canal to its south and St-Ambroise Street to its north \u2014 represents an \u201cimminent danger\u201d to public safety. <\/p>\n

\u201cControlled demolition is the only possible, safe and rational solution to eliminate the critical danger that this building represents,\u201d wrote the report\u2019s author, Andr\u00e9 Houle from the engineering firm STP ING inc.<\/p>\n

Houle is especially concerned about a facade wall, which he says has detached from the roof and is \u201changing by a thread.\u201d He\u2019s worried about this brick facade falling onto St-Ambroise Street, where people walk and cars are currently parked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way to protect the public with this project right now is to close the street, there\u2019s no other way,\u201d Houle said in an interview with CBC.<\/p>\n

\"bricksImages from an engineering report show the state of the inside of the Canada Malting plant on the banks of the Lachine Canal. (STP ING inc.)<\/p>\n

The danger of collapse could worsen in the winter or spring, his report says. Freeze-thaw cycles could contribute to the collapse, as could vibrations from an earthquake.<\/p>\n

Private developer ready to build <\/p>\n

The engineering report is the latest development weighing in on the future of the structure, which has lain vacant since 1985.<\/p>\n

In a media release, La Malterie inc., a subsidiary of Renwick, the company that owns and plans to develop the site, said a demolition request had been submitted to the city.<\/p>\n

Part of St-Ambroise Street will be closed in the meantime.<\/p>\n

The city said in a statement on Thursday that it was analyzing the demolition request to “ensure that the emergency demolition of part of the site is justified.”<\/p>\n

Antoine Poulin, the chief of staff for V\u00e9ronique Fournier, the mayor of the Sud-Ouest borough, said in an interview that the city met with the developer and with Houle earlier this week. <\/p>\n

He said the city had to conduct its own review of the site before greenlighting a demolition request, particularly given the important heritage of the Canada Malting plant. <\/p>\n

He emphasized that the main area of concern in Houle’s report is the crumbling brick facade off St-Ambroise Street, and that the report does not say that the other sides of the building, which are adjacent to a bar and recreational path, are in as dire condition. <\/p>\n

The Malting factory is a collection of buildings, erected in 1905, that the \u00c0 nous la Malting collective says is big enough for 200 social housing units. (Jonathan Montpetit\/CBC)<\/p>\n

Noam Schnitzer, the president of Renwick, said in a statement that the former Canada Malting site holds a “unique place in the history of Saint-Henri and in Montreal’s industrial legacy.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain fully committed to ensuring that the identity of this iconic site can live on through the future La Malterie project.\u201d<\/p>\n

La Malterie Inc. said its plan for the site includes 685 housing units, 20 per cent of which would be social housing. The plan also includes community spaces, businesses and community services. The company says it will also preserve the \u201cpink house.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The developer, the city and the community group \u00c0 nous la Malting have clashed over the future of the site for years<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The group wants to turn the building into a collectively owned complex with 200 affordable rental units, a rooftop garden, a bike repair shop, a public daycare, a community kitchen and a museum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Members of the group camped outside the plant in 2023<\/a> to protest Renwick\u2019s development plan. They had pushed for the site to be used exclusively for social housing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Malting plant and elevators were built in 1905 by the Canada Malting Co. Large and cement silos were added in the 1940s to store barley.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company exported the malt along the Lachine Canal, and when the canal closed to commercial navigation in 1970, the transportation cost rose to the point that the company abandoned the site in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

Since then, it has fallen into disrepair. Windows are boarded up, brick walls are crumbling, and the facade is covered in graffiti.<\/p>\n

And, though Renwick has set up barriers to prevent people from entering the building, it is popular with \u201curban explorers<\/a>\u201d and is home to the \u201cpink house\u201d \u2014 a small shack, painted pink and well maintained, which sits atop the crumbling plant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Engineer says street should have closed earlier<\/p>\n

Houle says he\u2019s amazed people are still going into the building, given how dangerous it is. He described arches, made of bricks and steel, that have become especially hazardous.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen that structure is rusted, it doesn\u2019t hold the brick anymore and the brick falls on the ground,\u201d he explained. \u201cLeft and right, the bricks are falling on the ground.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The STP ING inc. report released Thursday warns that anyone entering the building risks death. In images, the report shows falling bricks and floors that are worn through.<\/p>\n

Houle believes the area should\u2019ve been closed one week ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnywhere else it would be, \u2018we\u2019ll close off the street and we\u2019ll do the paperwork after. Because the safety is an issue,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cHere, we\u2019re saying to the owner, \u2018no\u2026 you need to go through the approval process.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it\u2019s an urgent matter, there\u2019s a safety issue, why do you have to wait for the paperwork to be able to act?\u201d<\/p>\n

Poulin, the city spokesperson, said the city had to follow a simple procedure to approve the street closure, and he said the developer, and Houle, were aware of it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Canada Malting plant, which looms over Montreal\u2019s Sud-Ouest borough and is notably home to the mysterious \u201cpink…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":916853,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-916852","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916852","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=916852"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/916852\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/916853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=916852"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=916852"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=916852"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}