Owner of Old Montreal building where 7 died in fire guilty of having faulty emergency exits in N.D.G. property

Montreal Gazette

25-06-2025

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The owner of the Old Montreal building where seven people died in a fire two years ago has been found guilty of failing to ensure one of his other properties had functional emergency exits.
In a decision issued last week, a Montreal municipal court judge found Emile Benamor made little effort to ensure the exits were accessible, rejecting his argument that he couldn't access the units in question.
'The risk of serious harm resulting from these breaches is high in the event of a fire, as they jeopardize the safety and lives of residents,' Judge Johanne Duplessis ruled on June 19.
Benamor, a lawyer who owns several properties in Montreal, made headlines in March 2023 when the Place d'Youville building he owned in Old Montreal burned down, killing seven people.
The three-storey building consisted of 15 rental units, many of which were rented out on Airbnb. It had previously been found to have multiple fire code violations, including blocked and 'dead-end' secondary exits.
In October 2024, another building Benamor owned in Old Montreal that housed a 20-room hostel was set ablaze. A mother and her seven-year-old daughter were killed in that fire. Two men were arrested and charged with second-degree murder.
The recent municipal court case focuses on a three-storey building Benamor owns on Hampton Ave. in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. The inspection behind the case took place in March 2023, about a week after the first deadly Old Montreal fire.
City inspectors found that doors leading to emergency exits in two of the units were faulty. One didn't have a handle, and the other was entirely sealed with adhesive tape.
In court, Benamor argued that he owns several buildings and inspects them from the outside every morning. He explained that he has owned the building on Hampton Ave. since 2019 or 2020, but the two tenants involved have never let him enter their units.
He said he was never notified about the door handle or the adhesive tape and that he couldn't notice the issues from the outside.
Duplessis dismissed his argument, ruling he should have made more of an effort.
'The defendant's testimony shows that he never took any concrete steps with the tenants' to ensure there were no issues with the emergency exits, Duplessis wrote.
'How is it possible to confirm that an emergency exit is in good condition without checking that the exit doors that form part of it are functioning properly?' she added.
Duplessis said she was surprised to hear Benamor admit that he has never been inside the units since purchasing the building. She noted that had he wanted to access them to be sure they were up to code, he could have taken steps with Quebec's housing tribunal.
'A reasonable person in the defendant's circumstances would not have limited themselves to external visual inspections,' the judge added.
Benamor was ticketed under a municipal bylaw concerning fire safety. A first offence carries a fine ranging from $500 to $1,000. Repeat offenders can be subject to fines reaching $2,000.
Benamor did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday. Reached by phone, the lawyer who represented him in the case declined to comment.
The Place d'Youville fire resulted in several ongoing lawsuits, including from the families of the victims. Police have said the fire was criminally set, but no charges have been laid.
A coroner's inquest into the fire remains on hold until the criminal process is resolved.