Alcan may expand Montreal head office by purchasing Salvation Army church

MONTREAL - Aluminum giant Alcan appears to have found religion after agreeing to purchase an adjacent Salvation Army church, potentially to expand its global head office.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest will participate Monday in what has been dubbed an "important" announcement for the Montreal region. Alcan CEO Dick Evans will make the announcement in the presence of Charest, Economic Development Minister Raymond Bachand and Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay.

Officials have been reluctant to divulge details of the announcement. But The Canadian Press has learned the company is acquiring the century-old building for an undisclosed sum.

Some 800 people work out of the company's headquarters, which also houses the primary metal, boxite and aluminum business group. Another 360 people are employed on the island of Montreal at a technical sales office along with three packaging and one tobacco plants.

The Salvation Army decided to sell its oldest and largest English-language church in Montreal because of a dwindling number of parishioners. The Salvation Army has five churches in the Montreal area.

"We're looking at changing our ministry," said Givette Volet, spokeswoman for the Salvation Army in Montreal.

"We have a congregation that's smaller and older so we're looking at relocating."

The structure built on the site was erected in 1905 by the Emmanuel Congregation Church and sold to the Salvation Army in 1948. It seats about 900.

It wasn't immediately known how Alcan plans to use the church, which has five large pillars outside and a plain interior with stained glass.

"I honestly don't know what Alcan is going to do with it. It's a church and I don't think today you can just demolish buildings."

The Salvation Army started in 1884 in Old Montreal at Place Victoria and moved several times over the years.

"A move is difficult in a sense but I think you have to celebrate the past and look forward to the future," said Volet.

"I think we did some good things there and we're going to do some good things somewhere else."

With an election call expected in coming months, the province recently provided hydroelectric and water rights to entice Alcan to invest US$1.8 billion to expand its smelter operations in Quebec's Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean area.