The Minister of Housing, Andrée Laforest, filed a bill in the National Assembly on Wednesday to better protect the elderly and give cities more power to build homes, at a time when Quebec is experiencing housing crisis.
The Legault government hopes to pass Bill 37 by the end of the parliamentary session.
” All parties agree to say yes, we need to hurry, we need more measures to protect our tenants in Quebec and encourage municipalities to build affordable housing on their territory. “
Protect tenants
Among the measures included in Bill 37 is the amendment of clause F, contained in leases.
From now on, owners of newly built housing will be able to increase their rents indefinitely for three years, instead of five.
[Le projet de loi] provides, however, that such recourses are permitted in the case of a dwelling which has been the subject of a change of use and which was previously intended for seniors.can be read in the explanatory text notes.
This is not enough in the eyes of organizations defending the rights of tenants.
” It will be protected a little more, but tenants who have lived in a newly constructed building in less than three years will still not be protected. “
I don’t think it’s a gain for tenant and I really think it’s a loss for housing producers. And what we need in Quebec is more rental housingsaid Benoit Ste-Marie of the Corporation of Quebec Property Owners.
Another measure provided for in the bill: non-profit organizations that obtain public funding must obtain ministerial authorization before selling a housing complex.
We want to avoid cases like Faubourg Mena’sen in Sherbrooke, a housing complex for retirees sold to private interests. The complex of 170 affordable housing, located on Saint-François Boulevard, is managed by the Cité des Retraités organization. It sold to property developers for $ 18 million.
The affair provoked reactions in the City of Sherbrooke and within the Quebec Association for the Defense of the Rights of Retired and Pre-retired Persons (AQDR) from Estrie. Prime Minister François Legault called for an investigation to determine where the proceeds from the sale went.
Quebec also wants to ban eviction of tenants when a residence for seniors changes vocation, as is the case of private accommodation for seniors of Mont-Carmel, in Montreal.
But the bill does not address the adjustments. Currently, there is little that prevents owner-investors from using these illegal evictions.argues Véronique Laflamme, ng FRAPRU.
The legislative text also provides for the right of first refusal in all cities in Quebec.
When a piece of land or a building is put up for sale on their territory, municipalities will have priority to acquire it, which will allow them, in particular, to build social housing.
” That’s great news. This will allow us to target the land we want to acquire to carry out our projects. “
The Union of Municipalities of Quebec is also pleased and hopes the bill will be passed soon.
So far, only the City of Montreal has this right. He used it for the first time in September 2020 when he bought a rental building in the Parc-Extension district to build social housing there.
Mayor Valérie Plante’s administration filed a draft regulation in February aimed at expanding this right. The latter allows the City to have priority over any buyer to acquire previously identified buildings and land to be sold over the next 10 years.
With information from Olivier Bachand
Source: Radio-Canada