What's scarier than Halloween? Sky-high rents, say Montreal demonstrators

People in Montreal's Park-Ex neighbourhood hit the streets on Halloween weekend to protest something residents say is even scarier: a lack of affordable housing.

"We don't want tenants to be ghosts in their own neighbourhood," said Amy Darwish of the Comité d'action de Parc-Extension, a local housing-advocacy group.

On Saturday, residents renewed calls to the city to refurbish a building on Jarry St. into about 30 affordable units. It's been nearly a year since the city bought 700 Jarry St. W, and still, it sits dormant.

In a statement to CTV News, Projet Montreal says the party understands the urgency of the housing situation but that it's waiting on necessary funding from the province to make it happen.

"We recognize the urgency, which is why we acquired 700 Jarry Street West to ensure that the property is used to build housing that meets the needs of neighbourhood residents," read a statement from the city. "The land has not yet been allocated, but the teams are on file."

"We must support housing non-profit organizations that carry out essential projects for our population to meet their needs. For its part, the borough is committed to actively collaborating with the cooperative in order to support it in its representations," it continued. 

It's "like doing ping-pong with that situation," said Darwish. She says the city should cede the building instead.

"The building should be turned over to the neighbourhood so that the co-op can build a project with social and community housing and community spaces," she said.

Meanwhile, demonstrators are complaining of rising rental rates in their neighbourhood.

"The rents have really doubled," said Salam Hashmi of the Cooperative monde uni, another local housing advocacy group.

"I know people who have been evicted, even in my building. I'm a renter here too," added Hashmi, who has lived in Park-Ex for nearly two decades.

"Some people, two families, or five, six, seven people, they rent a three-and-a-half."

"The reality is," added Darwish, "that 700 Jarry is only one of many sites that's currently undeveloped. These buildings are sitting empty and haunted while tenants are being displaced."