The largest cities in Quebec want to increase their use of social economy businesses. Faced with urgent problems of housing, commercial premises and waste management, among others, these municipalities believe that solutions can be found within cooperatives and non-profit organizations.
Montreal launched the Cities and Social Economy project last Friday, in which the seven most populous cities in Quebec as well as Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu will participate.
“The challenges are enormous. Even if they are not always the responsibility of cities, citizens ask us to find solutions. With our limited means, we won’t be able to do it alone. We think it can help us to ally ourselves more with the social economy sector,” reports Luc Rabouin, president of the executive committee of the City of Montreal.
Montreal’s number one priority is housing, says the elected official. An example of the contribution of the social economy in this area is UTILE (Work Unit for the Implementation of Student Housing), which builds non-profit student housing in several Quebec cities.
“We are developing new projects. This frees up housing for other types of households, explains Élise Tanguay, director of public affairs for UTILE. There are also other models that make it possible to acquire housing and protect it from speculation with non-profit organizations. »
Several municipalities partially finance UTILE projects and grant them the necessary administrative approvals. However, they could do more, believes Mme Tanguay, to develop an affordable housing offer that meets the needs of citizens.
“In the development of their policies, their regulations, cities can consider improvements, reductions, exceptions to allow NPOs to develop projects, whether in new construction or in the acquisition of housing in their municipality,” indicates -she.
In Laval, for example, the Collective around a cup is in discussions with the municipality and the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Conception in the hope of developing a project of social and affordable housing and community spaces in a vast site including heritage buildings.
Natural allies
“Social economy enterprises are natural partners of municipalities because they aim to serve a local community, except that they will do so using different resources and constraints,” says Béatrice Alain, general director of the Chantier. of the social economy, which is a partner in the project.
The objective of the municipalities being to share their practices to inspire each other, she emphasizes that a large gathering of elected officials from the participating cities will take place next fall. “I don’t know what they are doing in Gatineau, for example. We have an opportunity to learn,” says Mr. Rabouin.
Among the Montreal initiatives that the mayor of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough wishes to highlight is PME MTL, a network created by the City which supports the start-up and growth of businesses. Mr. Rabouin also cites the procurement policy aimed at favoring local and social businesses in the municipality’s contracts for the purchase of goods and services.
“We can go further,” however, adds the elected official.