(Ottawa) The federal government is not ruling out the idea of transforming certain office buildings it owns into housing in major cities across the country, including Montreal, says Treasury Board President Mona Fortier.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
Telecommuting is here to stay for many federal government employees, Minister Fortier said in an interview with The Press. Result: Ottawa has an obligation to carefully assess its office needs and dispose of space deemed surplus. Converting these premises into housing could be one of the solutions available to the federal authorities to tackle the housing crisis which is raging in several regions of the country, she indicated.
Mme Fortier said that his department had just begun this review and that it was therefore impossible at this time to determine which federal buildings could be converted to other uses.
In her latest budget, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced a “comprehensive review” of the federal government’s strategic policies. This mandate falls to Minister Fortier and must be carried out with all departments. She said a preliminary report should be ready within six months, and a final report should be submitted when the next federal budget is tabled next spring.
The objective of this review is to achieve savings of $6 billion over the next five years and $3 billion per year by 2026-2027.
The increased use of “virtual or remote working methods” is obviously part of this exercise.
“We learned a lot during the pandemic. […] In Ottawa, the downtown area was hard hit. If federal buildings no longer serve our needs, we must explore the possibility of transforming them into other things. No decision has yet been made. We are at the beginning of this review. But it’s important to examine all the options we have before us,” explained Minister Fortier.
“Explore all options”
In an interview, she cited the example of a building owned by the federal government in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The building in question, located at 33 Court Street, was recently transferred to an Aboriginal non-profit group. The new owners plan to convert the surplus office building into residential and commercial space. The plans call for the development of 42 units, 60% of which will be affordable housing. There will also be a daycare center and an internet café.
“It’s an example that is interesting and that encourages us to explore all these options. The important message is that if we want to be more strategic in our policies, we have to explore these kinds of options,” said the Minister, noting that this transaction took place even before the start of the examination it must carry out.
“We need to look at this more closely, whether in Montreal, Ottawa or Toronto. We will look at the inventory we have and the needs we have to ensure that we can continue to serve the population well. »
We know that there will still be work to be done in federal buildings. But that is set to change. One thing is certain, telework is here to stay and each department will have to evaluate the combination comprising remote work and work in the office.
Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board
Respond to the crisis
The office of the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante, welcomes the idea that the federal review could lead to the addition of new housing in the metropolis.
“Every gesture counts to respond to the housing crisis, which is a priority for our administration. The City of Montreal is very active in land acquisition and we are also analyzing the potential of our buildings and surplus land for the development of social and affordable housing,” said Catherine Cadotte, the senior press officer for Mme Plant.
“The federal government’s initiative is therefore a project that is already underway in Montreal, and we see it very favorably. Moreover, we strongly believe that access to federal land for the development of social and affordable housing, as in the Bridge Bonaventure sector, for example, is an important tool to respond to the affordability crisis that is raging in the metropolis,” she said.