Protesters are calling for more social housing in a demonstration Saturday in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough, where rents are among the highest in the city.
Veronique Laflamme, a spokeswoman for the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) organization, says the group is asking Quebec’s Housing Ministry to adjust its assistance programs and dole out more emergency funding to ensure lower-wage tenants don’t lose their homes come July 1.
The group is demanding 50,000 more social housing units over five years, either via new builds or by acquiring and converting existing buildings.
READ MORE: Quebec premier under fire for off the cuff comments about Montreal rental costs
Premier François Legault and Housing Minister Andrée Laforest have avoided discussion of what advocates are calling a housing crisis after Legault was criticized for being out of touch following an off-the-cuff estimate of rent prices in the National Assembly last week.
Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) government has promised to build 15,000 social housing units in its first mandate, announcing another $100 million in partnership with Ottawa on Wednesday for investment in subsidized housing.
UpKy, a real-estate data firm based in Montreal, found recently that the Sud-Ouest borough landed in the top six out of 92 neighbourhoods in the greater Montreal area for average rent price of one- and two-bedroom apartments.