Opposition wants City of Montreal to have a plan to prevent people from becoming homeless on July 1
Montreal's annual game of musical chairs -- otherwise known as the city-wide Moving Day on July 1 -- has gotten much higher-stakes in recent years, but a new proposal at City Hall is meant to ease the crunch.
In recent years, with a very tight housing market, there are families left without housing each Moving Day, and sometime they end up needing their "emergency" housing for a much longer term -- months after July 1.
"At the moment we have 16 households that are staying in hotels, according to the OMHM," said Benoit Langevin of opposition party Ensemble Montreal, referring to the municipal housing office.
A new motion by the party would allow the city to find, lease and prepare a stock of 100 dwellings that are ready to go on July 1 and can be used to house families. This would be done with a budget of $1 million.
Currently, the OMHM has a budget of over $3.5 million to book hotel rooms as a last resort for families stuck without a lease in July.
"We believe that we need to start working now if we want the city to be ready," said Langevin.
Rents in the city continue to rise to record highs. A new report for the renting platform rentals.ca shows the average price of a Montreal two-bedroom apartment went up 5.9 per cent in 2021. Now it's almost $2,000 a month.
The city says it's open to the proposal. A spokesperson said the administration is carefully studying the opposition's motion and will be able to discuss it with them before the next council meeting on Monday.
Mayor Valerie Plante is also scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday at 1 p.m. "to discuss a common vision to prevent and reduce homelessness in the city," according to a media advisory issued Wednesday evening.
The system outlined in the motion relies on the help of community groups, saying that the OMHM would ask them to be on the lookout for available homes to snap up as one of the 100 available units.
That idea isn't a far cry from what's already happening, though, say community groups -- especially for vulnerable people, they're already very involved in helping look for housing and secure leases.
Sam Watts of the Welcome Hall Mission, for example, says his shelter has signed 11 leases just in the last week for clients who need suitable housing but also need help to get settled.
"[It's] far better to be proactive than to always be in emergency mode," said Watts. "So this is just one idea of, I think, many that could be out there for us to explore."
But a coalition made up of housing committees and tenants' associations is wary of the burden falling on such groups, saying many don't have the resources to search for homes in this way.
The coalition, RCLALQ, says more of the responsibility should fall on the province, which controls most housing law in Quebec, including most of the measures that would help keep rent prices more stable.
"We feel we're doing a lot right now, but we don't address the actual problem, which is the rent increase that is making the market unaffordable to Quebecers," said Marion Duval of RCLALQ.
This week, Montreal's administration moved to put in place one of the measures it promised during the fall election, saying it was one of the only things within the city's powers to do to protect tenants: create a landlords' registry where landlords must report how much they're charging, the condition of their buildings and more.
Mayor Valerie Plante is scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday at 1 p.m. "to discuss a common vision to prevent and reduce homelessness in the city," according to a media advisory issued Wednesday evening.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
BREAKING Police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris where man threatens to blow himself up: French media
French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris on Friday, where a man was threatening to blow himself up, Europe 1 radio and BFM TV.
Some Canadian families will receive up to $620 per child today
More money will land in the pockets of some Canadian families on Friday for the latest Canada Child Benefit installment.
BREAKING Iran fires at apparent Israeli attack drones near Isfahan air base and nuclear site
An apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defences at a major air base and a nuclear site early Friday morning near the central city of Isfahan, an assault coming in retaliation for Tehran's unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
Ottawa to force banks to call carbon rebate a carbon rebate in direct deposits
Canadian banks that refuse to identify the carbon rebate by name when doing direct deposits are forcing the government to change the law to make them do it, says Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.
Ontario woman loses $15,000 to fake Walmart job scam
A woman who recently moved to Canada from India was searching for a job when she got caught in an online job scam and lost $15,000.
After COVID, WHO defines disease spread 'through air'
The World Health Organization and around 500 experts have agreed for the first time on what it means for a disease to spread through the air, in a bid to avoid the confusion early in the COVID-19 pandemic that some scientists have said cost lives.
Prince Harry formally confirms he is now a U.S. resident
Prince Harry, the son of King Charles III and fifth in line to the British throne, has formally confirmed he is now a U.S. resident.