Currently, 77 Montreal households have still not found housing for the 1er July, according to Mayor Valérie Plante. At the same time, negotiations between the federal and provincial governments are preventing the construction of thousands of social housing units.
Posted at 1:32 p.m.
Updated at 4:47 p.m.
“We have supported 400 households since January,” said M.me Plant on the sidelines of a press briefing inaugurating the new Philips Square in the city center on Monday morning. The city has invested $3.5 million in emergency shelter services this year, she added, urging families in need to call 311 for help.
Of the 77 households still looking for a new home, three are currently housed by the City. Mme Plante had mentioned a dozen families in this situation and an investment of $ 4.3 million in emergency services during the press briefing before his cabinet corrected the situation.
Radio-Canada revealed earlier Monday that the construction and renovation of nearly 6,000 social housing units was in danger in Montreal due to a disagreement between the provincial and federal governments. In a letter sent at the end of May to the President of the Conseil du trésor du Québec, Sonia LeBel, Ms.me Plante denounced the delays in these ongoing discussions since 2018.
The mayor reiterated her grievances on Monday. “There is a housing crisis. 1er July is difficult. To know that there are nearly 6,000 units that are being held hostage, which are not available to citizens, is unacceptable,” she insisted, stressing that there were undoubtedly more housing affected elsewhere in Quebec.
“We’ve been saying to the federal and provincial governments for four years that we have to find a solution,” said Ms.me Plant, visibly overwhelmed. “I don’t care at all, it’s whose fault, I want them both to sit in a room and then not leave until they find a solution . »
“Like the Mayor of Montreal, Ms.me LeBel is concerned about these delays and wishes to move this file forward quickly, ”said the office of the provincial minister. “Quebec has already accepted certain concessions with the aim of speeding up the discussions,” it was said.
Quebec demanded an agreement allowing it to channel federal funds through existing programs of the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ), which Ottawa refused in favor of the Co-investment Fund for the Housing (FNCIL), according to Minister LeBel’s office. It is the agreements related to this fund that have been the subject of negotiations since 2018.
“The federal government has remained firm in its desire to intervene directly in this matter by administering the FNCIL itself, thus unnecessarily duplicating the programs of the SHQ”, denounced Quebec, to which Ottawa also refuses “to guarantee a share reserve of federal investments of this program”.
“Quebec has the power to release the funds already committed for the thousands of social housing units in Montreal as we continue our negotiations on the program with the province”, however supported a press secretary for the Minister of Federal Housing, Ahmed Hussen. “We are asking the province to approve federal funds to allow these projects to proceed. »