July 1st Moves | Comings and goings and excitement in the streets of Montreal

Many Montrealers are moving on this 1^er Sunny July. In the streets of the metropolis, moving trucks made numerous trips back and forth between apartments and new tenants were excited about a fresh start.

Kym Gosselin and her friend, Jannick Perron, both in their twenties and originally from Sainte-Thérèse, have only been living in Le Plateau-Mont-Royal for a few hours. Family and friends came to help them move into their new home, a 4 1/2 “very small, but super beautiful,” according to M^me Gosselin.

She and her new roommate moved to Montreal for their jobs, as a technical director in a theatre and an artist, respectively. “We’re very happy to be here,” says M.^me Gosselin, specifying that she nevertheless feels “overwhelmed” by everything they have to do. “I’m excited, but I can’t wait [à la suite] “.

Madison Mclauchlan, a reporter for the Investigative Journalism Foundation, considers herself lucky to have found an apartment and had access to a moving truck for the 1^er July. “Maybe it’s because we booked it [un mois et demi] in advance,” says the woman who is moving to Le Plateau-Mont-Royal with her two friends. “As [on déménage] “From one floor to the next, everything is going well,” she adds.

The day didn’t go as planned for everyone, however. Tarek B., a Verdun contractor, went to his new home in the Village around 4 a.m. to take possession, but he was unable to do so because the previous tenant was still there. “Nothing was put away,” according to the contractor. Around 2 p.m., Tarek, his friends and the movers he hired were still waiting for the tenant to leave the home. “It’s taking a very long time,” he said.

Housing crisis

“We were lucky,” admits M.^me Gosselin. The two young women “fell through a crack” according to them. After visiting an apartment that the owner ultimately decided not to rent, he offered them their current apartment.

“I don’t know anyone who found an apartment on Marketplace, visited it and got it,” says M.^me Gosselin. According to her, it was more through family or friends that people around her had access to apartments in Montreal.

Steve Morin, for his part, has lived in his Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve apartment for 30 years. He has to move a few streets away so the owner can renovate the apartment. “It’s sad, but on the other hand, it’s a new beginning,” the civil servant emphasizes. [L’appartement] was due for repairs.”

Although Mr. Morin says he is happy with his new apartment, he admits that it is more expensive than the previous one. “You can’t escape it,” he says.

As for M’s old apartment^me Mclauchlan and his two friends said it was more affordable, but it was not in “very good condition.”

“When it came time to find a nicer place, which had three bedrooms, each with a window, in the neighborhood we wanted and which had been renovated, it was very difficult,” she explains.

The three roommates are now paying $800 more than their previous apartment. “It’s a big jump, but we think it’s worth it because of the condition of [l’appartement] “.