Cree Nation Trust Fund part of bid to turn Bay Building into cultural centre

The Bay Building on Saint Catherine Street is one of Montreal鈥檚 most iconic retail locations. But after the Hudson鈥檚 Bay Company dissolved in 2025, is future is unclear. One of the bidders for it is the Cree Nation Trust Fund. Called James Bay Eeyou Corporation, they鈥檙e partnering with JHD Real Estate on a $400 million bid that would transform the 134-year-old building into a mixed use development that includes commercial space, housing, a hotel development, and a heritage hub with an Indigenous cultural centre and a museum. 鈥淚t makes so much sense to do something fantastic with this building,鈥� says Charles de Brabant, the Executive Director of the Bensadoun School of Retail Management. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a cultural and heritage perspective to it, but at the same time brought in to today鈥檚 world.