“Because it’s something that we thought would take another 10 years,” she told Global News standing beside the property. “We’re still a little bit in shock. We’re still trying to process everything.Back in 2014 the city had put a right of first refusal on the property when it was sold to a private developer“What that means is if it ever goes up for sale we get to jump in and buy at the price that the offer was,” explained Southwest city councillor Craig Sauvé.
The founder’s niece pointed out that the place was a focal point for the Black community facing discrimination in the city. “It provided them support, provided them with guidance, provided them with opportunities,” she said, “especially to the newly arriving Blacks from the Caribbean and so forth.The building then fell into disrepair, the organization went bankrupt and the property was sold to a private developer who demolished it in 2014.
“[The city] decried the sale to the private developer,” Sauvé noted. “We blocked as best we could the demolition and we got overruled in Superior Court and then the Court of Appeal.Since the building came down, community groups, including the CCAD, have been trying to get the property back. Now they and other groups advocating for Black communities hope the new facility will be similar to what the NCC had, and include spaces like a repository for Black historical artifacts and areas to celebrate and recognize Black contributions to the city.“We can build back a community centre and probably some social housing also as part of the deal,” Michael P Farkas, Round Table on Black History Month president pointed out.