Montreal releases housing, transit wish list ahead of Quebec budget

With two weeks to go until the Legault government tables its next budget, Montreal has released its wish list for the province.

It was a short list compared to previous years, with just two points: housing and public transit.

Montreal Executive Committee President Dominique Ollivier addressed reporters Wednesday to call on the province to help the city address a new post-pandemic normal in bus and train transit.

She also asked the province to hand over nearly 1,100 housing units "blocked" by a lack of provincial funding in the AccesLogis system, which was created to provide accommodation for low-income residents.

PUBLIC TRANSIT NEEDS ‘MORE URGENT THAN EVER’

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) took a major hit over the pandemic as far fewer people were required to leave their homes to work or study.

In November, the STM released its 2023 budget and predicted a $78 million deficit. In January, it scrapped the remaining bus routes which promised service in 10 minutes or less.

The city is asking the province to match the STM’s deficit for the next two years.

"It is more urgent than ever to review the financing model of the transit authorities in order to ensure a public transit offer that meets the needs of users," the city wrote in a press release.

Those users are not providing enough fare funding to support the network, leaving the city with a question mark on how to fund public transit.

"The question that we have to ask right now is ‘What is the new model?' and 'How are we going to finance it … in a post-pandemic mode?'" said Ollivier on Wednesday.

MORE THAN 1,000 HOUSING UNITS 'BLOCKED'

The city has also asked the province to hand over nearly 1,100 affordable and social housing units slated under its AccessLogis program.

Ollivier claimed those units aren’t being rented out because the province hasn’t provided enough funding to prepare them.

"What we’re offering is to take those projects from AccessLogis Quebec, which has no money in it at this point," she said.

"The units are kind of blocked. They’re ready to be built, but they’re blocked because there's no more funding," she added. If the province agreed to Montreal’s demand, "the city would take the responsibility of making sure, if the funding is adequate, that it builds those units."

Montreal needs to build 2,000 units per year to keep up with its housing goals, it said in a Wednesday release.

Quebec will table its budget on March 21.