Struggle to find pet-friendly apartments leads to more surrenders at SPCA
The hunt for affordable housing is becoming increasingly challenging in Montreal, and advocates say this is especially true for pet owners.
The Montreal SPCA has witnessed a jump in calls this moving season from renters who can't take their animals with them because their building doesn't allow pets.
"It's more than in previous years. In fact, we're going back to pre-pandemic levels," said Montreal SPCA executive director Elise Desaulniers.
The SPCA says owners struggling to find pet-friendly apartments are showing up at the shelter daily to surrender their animals.
Desaulniers said it's been difficult to keep up.
"It's quite a challenge for us to take care of those animals," she said. "We don't have enough people."
With low vacancy rates, it's tough competition to find an affordable apartment in Montreal right now. Housing advocates say options are even more limited for pet owners, as many leases contain no-pet clauses.
"We noticed there are more and more uncertain places. [It's] difficult for these tenants who have animals," said Catherine Lussier, an organizer with housing advocacy group FRAPRU. "Unfortunately it's another condition of discrimination."
The SPCA and Quebec Solidaire are pushing for the government to ban no-pet clauses, saying they disproportionately affect low-income renters.
But the Quebec Landlords Association (APQ) says these clauses are often needed to avoid property damage and noise complaints.
"We're caught in the middle because we have to [ensure] the peaceful enjoyment of the premises," said APQ president Martin Messier.
A third of all landlords in the province accept pets, according to the APQ, but Messier said this number would be higher if the Quebec government allowed them to charge security deposits.
"If I got to the hotel with my little yorkie for the night, they will charge me several hundred dollars as a security deposit for one night. We're asking the landlord to accept pets without [a] security deposit -- it doesn't make sense."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.