The housing crisis in Quebec — now recognized by the government — is shaking the life of entire neighborhoods. The forced departures of long-term tenants are weakening the social fabric of several sectors of Montreal, as are certain villages in the region.
“It has destroyed communities,” laments Marjolaine Deneault, spokesperson for the Regroupement des Comités Logements et Associations de Tenants du Québec (RCLALQ). According to her, renovations, higher rental prices, or even abusive rent increases are causing more and more Quebecers to leave their beloved neighborhood.
“People are leaving when they’ve lived in their building for 10 or 20 years. The local grocery store, daycare, relatives, neighbors they knew: all of that needs to be rebuilt. It’s not only a question of accommodation or shelter, it’s also a question of solidarity, support, a social question. »
His organization had organized a demonstration on Sunday to denounce the rents which “explode”. Some 500 people protested in the streets of Verdun to demand rent control by Quebec.
In Verdun, precisely, the face of the neighborhood is changing “and not necessarily for the better,” assures Michel Proulx, social worker with the Local Citizens’ Action Committee. “The rents that were $600, $700, $800 are down to $1,500. People can no longer afford to live here. Before, it was much more the underprivileged class who asked us for help, but now it is people from the middle class who call us and tell us who are no longer able to pay”.
“It’s full of new owners who are putting people out,” he adds. The new tenants who arrive did not live in Verdun before, but they can afford housing at $1,200 per month. There are places where people have known each other for several years, but they are no longer able to stay in their neighborhood,” he laments.
Sometimes, it is not the housing price that upsets the balance of a district, but rather the price of commercial leases. They are not governed by any law except that of the free market and some shopkeepers have to pack up before the imposed rent increases.
“Pastry is fine, a fine butcher’s shop, but people don’t always have the means to buy a good cheese. People feel suffocated, they can’t afford to live there,” notes Gaétan Roberge, community organizer for the housing committee in Ville-Marie.
Active for 20 years in the field, he attests that several neighborhoods have been emptied of their inhabitants by a conversion of the services offered. “Take the gay district. The gay district is beautiful, but all the local shops have disappeared. There isn’t even any hardware anymore. It is rendered restaurants and bars. It’s good, it’s touristy, but the people around have lost their living space. »
Even outlying neighborhoods, such as Montreal North, have been losing residents for two years who perpetuated the memory of the place, testifies Jacynthe Morin, of the local housing committee.
“With the rent increases, it’s really a disastrous cocktail. We see a lot of people who can’t pay, they have to find other accommodation. But to go where? »
Even the countryside appears more and more like a cul-de-sac for potential tenants. The most recent official data indicated that cities such as Granby, Drummondville, Joliette, Rouyn-Noranda or Rivière-du-Loup have housing vacancy rates approaching 0%.