For a way out of the housing crisis

The main players in the housing sector will meet this Friday in Laval at the invitation of the new mayors of Laval and Longueuil. It is an excellent initiative. This summit sends a strong signal so that the housing crisis becomes one of the major issues of the electoral campaign which will begin on Sunday.

We expect political parties to present us with a clear vision of their solutions to get out of this crisis.

The next government should consider appointing a minister responsible exclusively for housing in order to give the necessary attention to this crucial issue.

Quebec’s response must be equal to the crisis.

Ottawa’s disinvestment over several years and Quebec’s slowness to recognize the existence of the problem have plunged us into the current situation: a severe housing crisis across the province.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) estimates that approximately 620,000 new dwellings must be built by 2030 in Quebec to restore the balance. It’s quite a challenge.

Today, finding a home has become a source of anxiety for many Quebec families. It is not normal. Even less in a society as wealthy as ours.

Fortunately, there are ways out of the crisis.

Starting with densification, a principle that the editorial team of The Press repeatedly defended.

Densification not only represents a possible solution to meet climate challenges, but it also makes it possible to maximize the use of infrastructures and to make any collective mobility project profitable by limiting urban sprawl.

Another solution: increase the supply of affordable housing. Roughly speaking, a middle-class family should spend no more than 30% of their gross income on housing. We need to build more social and community housing and apply the “one roof first” approach to homelessness: a person on the street costs the community more.

Affordability must be a reality in central neighborhoods. The housing crisis is pushing less privileged families ever further.

However, they must be able to find accommodation close to services and public transport.

To promote densification, municipal regulations must be reviewed.

Cities must rethink their urban planning in the era of climate change and housing needs. The “everything single-family” has shown its limits, as has the development of virgin territory and houses that consume too much energy. Cities must be open: construction at height and the addition of accessory housing units (tiny house in the garden, extension, etc.) are feasible while respecting the urban and built environment.

As for social acceptability, cities must work on it upstream, together with real estate developers, in order to better explain the nature and objectives of the new housing principles. In other words, the “not in my backyard” syndrome must give way to a more inclusive vision of urban development.

Obviously, we won’t get there by shoving this paradigm shift down the throats of citizens. You have to explain and educate, that’s essential.

To achieve this, here is what the cities need: more money from Ottawa, more money from Quebec and more planning powers on their territory. Currently, the Société d’habitation du Québec manages and defines most of the programs. It establishes the criteria, sometimes without even consulting the municipalities. However, the latter remain in the best position to determine what their needs are, provided they respect the principles set out above, namely densification and the curbing of urban sprawl, two elements of the new land use planning policy.

Cities should also be helped financially to develop projects whose impact is decisive. The best example: the former site of the Blue Bonnets racecourse. Montreal cannot, alone, decontaminate the land and pay for the infrastructure of a real estate project that will accommodate tens of thousands of inhabitants. If the provincial government finances the construction of highways, it must absolutely invest in infrastructures that will make it possible to densify the territory.