NDG COMMUNITY COUNCIL SERVICES
The Council's primary service is providing information and referral. We deliver these services through multiple channels, including in-person consultations, website, email, and phone. Our ongoing efforts aim to develop innovative tools that enhance the accessibility of community resource information. This approach enables us to maintain direct communication with the population, facilitating connections with various local organisations and identifying service gaps. Additionally, we collaborate with community groups and residents to develop services, emphasizing the concept of proximity in priority sectors. By doing so, we ensure that the needs of our neighborhood are met effectively and efficiently.
NDG COMMUNITY COUNCIL SERVICES
For over 30 years, the NDG Community Council has proudly helped eligible residents file their tax returns free of charge. In addition to our annual tax clinics during tax season, we’re happy to offer this service year-round. With the support of our dedicated trained volunteers, residents can benefit from this service by submitting their documents on a walk-in basis. Don’t hesitate to reach out, we’re here to help!
NDG Resource Centre Making sure our residents are aware of the available services and activities in the neighbourhood is one of the Council’s mandate since its creation. We provide information and referrals by phone and emails. We use different methods to reach out to different people: door to door, Facebook, newsletter, printed notices, posters and mobile kiosks.
To ensure the proximity of services, the Council provides residents with the services of a Commissioner of Oaths. These services are free and available without appointment- 19 people benefited from this service this year.
Needs of residents are various and services in the community cannot always answer them directly. The Council, without noticing it at first, slowly increased the number of residents met individually for support. Some need only help to better understand an official communication, some cannot fill important forms, others are lost and do not even know what they need and where to start from. Our team then goes slow with them to identify the steps needed to regain confidence and put their life on the right track. On many occasions, our team members also accompanied the residents to appointments to reassure them through their journey for a better quality of life.
The Council’s 3 meeting rooms are extensively shared amongst our staff and the community, for example with the english/french second language classes, resident gatherings and meetings, AGMs, training sessions, and more! This space lending service keeps our office a bustling hub of activity.
We also share office space with smaller organisations: LogisAction, PEP, Table 0-5 , Senior Citizen Council and Y4Y are all working with us in this vibrant atmosphere.
Our members are always welcome to use our space for free - we know that some residents groups and organisations have trouble accessing free space and we are proud to be able to provide this service. Through 2018-2019, neighbourhood groups were welcomed in our space for a total of 532 hours.
We also share office space with smaller organisations: LogisAction, PEP, Table 0-5 , Senior Citizen Council and Y4Y are all working with us in this vibrant atmosphere.
Our members are always welcome to use our space for free - we know that some residents groups and organisations have trouble accessing free space and we are proud to be able to provide this service. Through 2018-2019, neighbourhood groups were welcomed in our space for a total of 532 hours.
It has been many years that the conversation groups run at the Council, with continuous engagement from volunteers. They are great way to meet other participants and to network. All our conversation groups are free and open to all residents of NDG. Our mandate is not education and this is certainly not the goal of those groups; the Council uses them to break social isolation and have an increased direct contact with residents, allowing us to identify their needs. We continued having both in person and virtual groups through the year, in French, in English and in Spanish. The Benny Library partnered with us and welcomed a French conversation group every Wednesday. The demand is higher than the offer, many residents are on a waiting list in hope new groups will open.
Bonhomme à Lunettes is a valuable service that provides affordable glasses. The Council offers a space every Monday from 1 PM to 4 PM for their appointments. On average, we welcome 4 to 8 residents each Monday, we provide the residents with community information and resources while they are waiting for their turns.
2024-2025
For the fifth consecutive year, the Council partnered with McGill University's Faculty of Dentistry to provide free oral health workshops and clinics. Two student teams were assigned to the Council: one delivered interactive workshops on dental hygiene for parents and children, while the other focused on seniors living in two local HLMs.
In addition to the workshops, we hosted two free dental clinics in the neighborhood—one in October and another in February—at the Monkland Community Centre. Many residents were also accompanied to follow-up appointments at the McGill Dental Faculty downtown to ensure they received complete care. In total, 58 residents benefited from these essential services. This collaboration continues to make a tangible difference in bridging gaps in access to dental care in our community.
