This text is part of the special booklet For a housing reform
The Montreal Metropolitan Community (CMM) will soon adopt its first housing policy. It will serve to better coordinate the response of the 82 municipalities of the CMM to the many challenges posed by housing in Greater Montreal.
On December 9, 2021, the CMM officially gave its Housing and Social Cohesion Commission (CHCS) the mandate to develop a draft Metropolitan Housing Policy (PMH). The CHCS relied on a housing diagnosis that paints a portrait of a metropolitan region plagued by strong demographic growth, the aging of its population and major problems of access to housing, both on the market rental than on that of the property.
The commission presented a first version of its policy on June 14th. This initial version will be the subject of a public consultation from September 7 to 14, during meetings to be held in Mascouche, Montreal and Longueuil.
“We have put forward several possible solutions and the time has now come to discuss them with the municipalities as well as the organizations and citizens interested in the housing issue,” explains the Mayor of Mascouche, Guillaume Tremblay. , who chairs the CHCS. We must find ways that allow the municipalities of Greater Montreal to improve the housing situation. »
Housing in crisis
Indeed, the housing context is currently not simple. All areas of the CMM are experiencing challenges, some of which — such as access to social housing or the scarcity of housing — were once more the prerogative of Montreal.
“The reality has become very comparable throughout the territory of the CMM, where pretty much all municipalities are likely to experience housing shortages and difficulties with affordability or access to property,” acknowledged the mayor of Mascouche. In 2021, the vacancy rate for housing in Mascouche/Terrebonne was 0.1% and 1.1% for all the suburbs, compared to 3.7% on the island of Montreal.
The price of residences has risen sharply in recent years in the metropolitan area of Montreal. Since 2017, the increase in the median cost of single-family homes has varied between 66% and 77%, while the increase in that of condominiums has been between 47% and 62%. The price of residential real estate there has increased twice as fast as household income since 2010.
The situation is hardly rosier on the rental market. In the four years before the pandemic, the housing vacancy rate dropped significantly, which contributed to inflating the level of rents. The 3.7% annual increase in the average rent between 2020 and 2021 marked the third year of increases above the average of the previous 20 years.
The increase is even stronger in certain municipalities of the CMM such as Saint-Lin-Laurentides (14%), Mascouche/Terrebonne (8.1%) and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (7%). Social and affordable housing is becoming too rare and many of them are in poor condition.
“Social and affordable housing depends on several players,” recalls Guillaume Tremblay. Of course, the municipalities and the CMM have a role to play, but they will need the support, particularly financial, of the Quebec government and even the federal government to finally resolve the housing crisis. »
Fuel the debate
The CMM intends to adopt its new policy before the end of the year. It will then guide its actions and those of its 82 housing municipalities. Its current project includes 41 courses of action divided into three orientations: ensure housing affordability, develop a sufficient, diversified residential offer adapted to the needs of the population, and support the development of quality living environments, designed to combat and adapt to climate change.
The September consultations are aimed at refining the policy as well as building consensus on the solutions it proposes. Guillaume Tremblay hopes that the population will be present at these sessions and that citizens will give their opinion on the project and will not hesitate to comment on it on social media, in order to continue to fuel the debate on the question of dwelling. Each of its meetings will include a question period. “We are undertaking this exercise with a lot of openness,” he says. We want to understand what is happening in different circles in order to present new ideas, which are off the beaten track. It is especially important that we continue to talk about housing, especially during a period of provincial elections. »
Housing in numbers
The house in a few figures
Municipalities, organizations and citizens are invited to the public consultation from September 7 to 14, 2022 to give their opinion on the PMH project, consisting of 41 courses of action.