A tenant of an OMHM dwelling was complaining of the fact that an Association was offering activities to autistic people in rooms located in his residential building, which he found prejudicial to the quality of life of residents.
This Association held recreational activities for autistic people from the Montréal region, in the community room of the building, every Saturday. Moreover, every summer, between the end of June and mid-August, the group also organized a summer camp for autistic children, 5 days a week, from Monday to Friday. These children did not only use the community room, they also spent a great deal of time in the backyard which is usually reserved to the residents of the building. The residents were, therefore, deprived from the peaceful enjoyment of their backyard during a large part of the summer.
Following an investigation and in light of the comments submitted by residents of the building, the Saturday recreational activities did not really cause concerns, but the residents were truly bothered by the summer camp activities taking place in the backyard.
Following our discussions, the OMHM recognized that this forced cohabitation was not appropriate and should end. The summer camp was quickly moved to another location and the residents have regained peaceful access to their yard. The community room continues, however, to be used on Saturdays, for special activities for autistic people.
