The ceremony honoring Lucia Kowaluk, a social justice and environmental activist, who passed away on February 1 at the age of 84, will be held on Sunday, February 17 at 3 p.m. at the Jeanne-Mance auditorium of the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital (3840 Saint-Urbain Street).

Music and testimonies will mark this ceremony and all those wishing to pay their respect are invited. Following Lucia’s wishes, those wanting to express their sympathy through an offering are invited to give a donation to the Milton Park Citizens' Committee rather than flowers.

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A woman with a remarkable career

The recipient of many awards, including the Order of Canada, the National Order of Quebec and the City of Montreal’s Therese-Daviau Prize, the social worker by training was especially known in the co-operative movement for her commitment in the fight to save the Milton Park neighborhood. She took part in the citizen mobilization to prevent the demolition of the neighborhood, then to achieve the Milton Park Community, the largest concentration of community housing in Canada, with 22 co-operatives and 6 non-profit organizations.

FECHIMM had paid tribute to her at the 2018 AGM. The Board of Directors wanted to recognize her outstanding commitment to the housing co-operative movement and to the community in general. Lucia Kowaluk had not been able to receive her prize in person, as her state of health did not allow her to attend the FECHIMM meeting.

See the CITÉCOOP article, published in the Fall of 2018 (FR)

Before her health deteriorated, Lucia Kowaluk was still very involved in her community. In 2015, at the Milton Park Community Coalition for Access to Housing and Health, she led the fight to prevent the two hospitals in the neighborhood, the Hôtel-Dieu and the Montreal Chest Institute, from being sold to private interests.

She campaigned for housing for the poor and the homeless. Beyond moral reasons, economic reasons should encourage us to solve the problems of homelessness, she said, noting that leaving a person on the street costs society four times more than providing a roof over his head.

See the CITÉCOOP article, published in 2015 (FR)

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Other achievements

Lucia Kowaluk's contribution was not limited to the housing sector. Co-founder of the Montreal Urban Ecology Center (CEUM), this American-born Montrealer has also helped with the establishment of a center for homeless people in Saint-James Church and the creation of Chambreclerc, an organization which provides apartments and communal kitchens for homeless people.

She was also involved in social housing projects, particularly for young prostitutes in Montreal and in the establishment of the Strathearn Community Center in the Milton Park district.

"Lucia's smile, her passion, her energy and her unwavering commitment to those left behind have touched everyone who has known her and will continue to be a source of inspiration", wrote Luc Brisebois, chairman of the board of directors at FECHIMM, in his message of condolences addressed to Dimitri Roussopoulos, her activism and life partner.