Housing affordability is a major concern among the population of Montreal, as most citizens fear that they will no longer be able to live in the metropolis in 2050.
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This is at least what emerges from a report by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) for which Montrealers were called upon to vote on the future 2050 Urbanism and Mobility Plan of the City.
Mandated by the municipal council, the OCPM affirms that it is about “the most imposing public consultation of its history”.
According to the report, released Thursday, the main concern of citizens, organizations and experts met is housing affordability. And, for a majority of them, “improving the affordability and quality of housing” is one of the seven solutions to be favored by the City to reduce social inequalities.
“Everyone agrees to densify the city to curb urban sprawl and allow everyone to choose their living environment. That said, economic players are campaigning above all for more predictability and flexibility in terms of regulations and procedures in order to increase the residential supply, while citizens and organizations are proposing a range of regulatory, financial and fiscal solutions to facilitate maintaining, creating and providing access to social and affordable housing. All agree on a close planning of housing and structuring transport”, we read in particular.
Twenty recommendations
Thanks to this consultation, carried out over 13 months, the OCPM was able to list 4,310 citizen contributions, formulate 22 recommendations and establish the main lines that will make it possible to “guide the future 2050 Urban Planning and Mobility Plan (PUM), with a view to achieve the objectives of carbon neutrality and social equity”.
“It is therefore recommended to integrate six guiding principles into the PUM: socio-ecological transition; valuing nature and protecting the environment; integrated urban and mobility planning; respecting and developing the identity of the territories; citizen participation and representativeness; and resilient economic prosperity,” reads the 142-page document.
Among the recommendations, the OCPM believes that the City must “prioritize the development of social and community housing and affordable housing”.
The Office also stresses the importance of “protecting households occupying the rental housing stock, in particular by creating a register of rents”. Remember that, during the last election campaign in 2021, the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, had undertaken to set up a certification for Montreal landlords with a rent register.