Federal budget: Liberals plan to convert some Montreal office buildings into housing
The federal government plans to convert some government office buildings into housing, including some in Quebec, and to leasing federal land, according to the budget announced Tuesday.
The Liberal government announced in its 2024 federal budget that it is earmarking $1.1 billion over 10 years to convert 50 per cent of its buildings, with proposed savings of $3.9 billion over the same period of time.
In Montreal, the budget specifically lists the National Film Board offices on Côte-de-Liesse Road near the Metropolitan, which will soon have 100 homes. Ottawa will also be spending $4 million over two years for new housing at four sites across the country.
- From housing initiatives to a disability benefit, how the federal budget impacts you
- Liberals aim to hit the brakes on car theft with new criminal offences
That includes the much sought-after land of the Wellington Basin, which has been discussed for years. There will also be post offices converted into housing developments in Roxboro, Trois-Rivières and Beauharnois.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said on social media that she was happy to see measures to speed up access to more homes.
Housing group FRAPRU says it's also pleased the feds focused on this, but it worries all these properties will be going to private developers and won't include social or affordable homes.
"We are preoccupied that too many of these apartments are going to be mostly given to the private sector and … that's why we are a bit deceived, if I can mention it like this, at how they presented the initiatives of how they're going to distribute or use their own sites to support the construction of housing," said FRAPRU coordinator Catherine Lussier.
CTV News also spoke to Renaud Brossard, vice-president of communications for the Institut Economique de Montréal (IEDM), who said Ottawa could have taken a page out of Quebec's 2024 budget by looking at the number of bureaucrats and trying to make government more efficient.
"Since the Trudeau government took office, there's about 100,000 federal bureaucrats that work for the federal government. When we adjust for population growth, that's a 28-per cent increase." said Brossard.
"I don't know about you, but I don't feel like federal services are delivered 28 per cent better."
The federal Liberals announced Tuesday it would cut 5,000 public service jobs over four years through attrition.
Some other aspects of the budget that affect Quebec include more money for high-frequency rail between Quebec City and Toronto and more contracts for the Davie Shipyard in Lévis.
Quebec Finance Minister Éric Girard said he will react to the budget Wednesday morning.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.