On May 7, 2017, the conference on gentrification was held in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, all the signatories of this letter were represented there. Organized by the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhood table and the town hall of the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, these meetings were to document the phenomenon of gentrification and propose possible solutions in order to improve the affordability of housing, to increase the number of social housing units and to successfully experience social diversity.
On the basis of studies carried out by the National Institute of Scientific Research, four findings emerged: condominiums represented 15% of the real estate stock, the average cost of rent between 2003 and 2017 had increased by 26%, over a little more in a decade, we had gone from 500 condominiums to 4,000, and 852 housing units had been withdrawn from the private rental market over the same period.
The cost of rent
We are publishing this letter today because the situation of tenants concerns us greatly. We are also of the opinion that in the matter of social housing in general, and the reality of renovations in particular, Mayor Pierre Lessard-Blais and councilors Éric Alan Caldwell and Alia Hassan-Cournol have failed in their obligations as elected officials. .
Never, to our knowledge, have our elected officials been so inactive, devoid of leadership and few demands on the housing issue. However, there is a crisis and the situation has deteriorated considerably since May 2017.
Some facts to support this claim. First, the monitoring of the resolutions adopted by the people participating in the meetings had to be done by a committee. Not only did this committee never see the light of day, but the district housing consultation body was abolished by Mr. Lessard-Blais shortly after his election in 2017.
The cost of rent continued to increase, so much so that in 2023, according to the survey carried out by the Regroupement des committees logement et associations de tenants du Québec, a studio was priced at $1,019, a three and a half at $1,276. $ and a five and a half to $2022. The unaffordability of rents in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district continues to be the main problem for tenants as well as that of renovations.
Little regard for tenants
We have observed in recent years that numbered companies are acquiring buildings that are quite deteriorated, and under the pretext of renovations, are evicting the occupants by excessively increasing rents. The Hochelaga-Maisonneuve Housing Entraide organization supported some 200 people grappling with the threat of renovations in 2023. During the 2017 electoral campaign, Pierre Lessard-Blais declared to a local newspaper that his party wanted the borough to finance the register of leases and hire more inspectors.
In light of this statement, we were dismayed by the lack of consideration with which the administration of Mayor Pierre Lessard-Blais, on several occasions, treated tenants. We are still mindful of the fate reserved by the borough for the tenants of 4790, Sainte-Catherine Est, by keeping them in terrible unsanitary conditions even though the Montreal Fire Department had evacuated more than a takeover of this building which, according to this service, presented an imminent danger to the safety of the tenants.
Added to this is the lax manner in which the Regulation respecting the sanitation, maintenance and safety of housing is used. In an environment where entire sections of the rental stock are dilapidated or poorly maintained, the borough is shamefully procrastinating on issuing tickets, with the result that only 16 tickets were issued in 2020. The borough refuses to make public the number of reports submitted for subsequent years.
The resolutions adopted by those participating in the meetings proposed the adoption of a Tenants’ Charter and the establishment of a joint community-public institution organization with financial support from the district. This organization was to monitor developments in the real estate market and come to the aid of tenants who are victims of distortions in this market. The organizations Comité BAILS (Base for action and information on social housing) and Entraide logement Hochelaga-Maisonneuve sent a letter to the mayor reminding him of this proposal on May 31, 2023. To date, no acknowledgment of receipt was sent to them.
If we need further proof of the negligence of our elected officials in the housing issue, it can be found in the evolution of our social housing stock. Between the end of the meeting, in May 2017, and April 2024, a period of 7 years, a total of 35 social housing units were built in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district, according to data from the technical resources group Bâtir son neighborhood. We search in vain on news platforms for traces of the interventions of Pierre Lessard-Blais, Éric Alen Caldwell or Alia Hassan-Cournol which would demonstrate a desire to challenge the authorities concerned by social housing.
To use the image of an advertising ad from the Speedy Muffler company, our elected officials are silent…