Many Montrealers getting priced off the island, meaning Moving Day will be busy
The cost of living in Montreal continues to rise, and Moving Day is right around the corner at a time when many Montrealers are getting priced off the island.
Bill Rusnak lives in Montreal's NDG borough and is moving to Brossard where he bought a house.
Rusnak said he couldn't afford a place on the island.
"It’s wild right now," he said. "These are stories you grow up hearing about Toronto or Vancouver, where people are paying $100, $150,000 over. And I just couldn’t stay in NDG."
This year's July 1 moving day comes as the cost of living in Montreal is exploding.
"My rent didn’t change, but the next guy going in for sure will be paying more," said Rusnak.
For movers, it means some logistical hurdles, as it seems more people are making the move off the island this year.
"When it first happened last year, yes there were a lot of cancellations and things that were pushed off to a later date," said Bust-A-Move co-owner Bob Clark. "We know the rush is coming. It’s just something we get used to, it’s busier."
The average rent cost on the Island of Montreal is more than $1,300 a month, and a lot of people who put off moving during the pandemic may be making up for lost time now.
The rising rents has created something of a housing crisis that the city's administration is looking to improve.
"We’ve been working for more than six months to create units for people who find themselves in the street who couldn’t find an apartment," said Mayor Valerie Plante.
Plante said the city is adding about 300 affordable housing units, about a third more than last year, in a bid to head off a housing crunch.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.