Themes, tags, keywords and great projects

Provide technical and financial support for new housing development in neighbourhoods around metros, areas surrounding the New Tramway, and commuter train stations. Put in place a subsidy program offering financial incentives of up to $25,000 per admissible housing unit. If a property is acquired privately, this initial aid would have to be reimbursed, for example, when the property is resold.

Help Montreal families become homeowners through a variety of measures. The City will provide an average of $10,000 per housing unit of complimentary investments in the public domain. A free transit pass will also be provided for two years to each household moving into select newly constructed developments, the equivalent of a $1,440 subsidy. The City will favour housing developments that do not include new parking spaces. This would lead to a decrease in housing price ranging from $10,000 (outdoor parking) to $40,000 (indoor parking).

By combining this commitment with the previous one, the cost of buying a residence with at least 3 bedrooms will be reduced by at least $46,440 to as much as $76,400 compared with current market prices. Currently, most households living in the targeted areas either do not own a car or make limited use of the one they have. The new households will have a similar profile, given that the housing projects will be designed to reduce dependence on the automobile. The combination of these housing and transportation measures will allow Montreal, including the downtown area, to offer families a lifestyle that meets their needs at an accessible price.

Promote the incorporation of renewable energy technologies in new housing unit projects (LEED, R2000, etc.).

Aim to create living environments where elderly people, single people, and young families have access to housing through a diversity of options (social housing, affordable housing, market-rate rental, individual ownership and housing cooperatives). Create socially and generationally diverse neighbourhoods by ensuring that the supply of housing reflects the income of households.

Finance the renovation of social housing owned by the City of Montreal. Beyond simply maintaining the actual housing stock, build new social housing:

• by demanding Montreal’s fair share of a major upcoming federal investment in social housing, estimated to be $2 billion per year across the country;
• by demanding greater provincial investments in social housing in Montreal.

Create a Social and Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF) for the City of Montreal, financed by federal and provincial investments and contributions from developers. The SAHF will be dedicated to the construction of social housing and affordable housing for low income households as well as people with special needs, such as the homeless, the elderly, handicapped people, and others.

Put in place municipal regulation promoting inclusion by requiring that private developers dedicate at least 25% of their projects to social or affordable housing. Developers who would rather not meet this obligation could instead pay the SAHF $25,000 for every missing social or affordable housing unit.

Build 1,500 social and affordable housing units per year:

• by requiring developers to include at least 25% social and affordable housing in their developments;
• by setting aside vacant land owned by the City for the construction of environmentally friendly social and affordable housing.

Promote the conversion of residential buildings into housing cooperatives by getting occupants to join together and by bringing in partners, such as technical resource groups, existing housing coops, and potential financial backers in order to secure the means for buying the property.

The availability of schools is one of the most powerful inducements for families to leave Montreal and settle in the suburbs. An abundance of schools is found in these cities (most of them recently built), as is shown in the table below. With the goal of keeping families and young couples, and attracting families with children to Montreal, demand that the Ministère de l’éducation work with the Montreal Island school boards to:

• build primary schools in the downtown area and in central neighbourhoods as necessary;
• maintain the renovation program for Montreal schools;
• negotiate an agreement with the school boards to ensure that the sale of unused properties and buildings does not hurt Montreal’s long-term capacity to accept students. Buildings and properties that are temporarily superfluous could be converted into community centres, local employment centres, daycares, etc.

To protect current residents, tenants as well as owners, from the speculation that generally accompanies larger urban projects and to protect their right to their housing at an accessible price:

• compile and make easily accessible a registry of rents;
• maintain the moratorium on converting buildings into condominiums in neighbourhoods where the vacancy rate is less than 3%;
• make it possible for families to stay in their neighbourhoods by securing housing for them by means of a moratorium on the subdivision of existing housing by non-resident owners (according to borough);
• limit the increase of property taxes paid by a live-in homeowner to the rate of inflation as long as he or she is occupying the unit. In the case of an increase in value as a result of simple market forces (i.e. no improvements have been made on the unit), the new level of property tax would only be applied to the new owner when the property changes hands. As an equity measure towards neighbours benefiting from the same municipal services, the difference in taxes paid between a live-in homeowner and the neighbourhood average should not exceed 25% for properties of equivalent value.

Mandate one of the standing committees of City Council to analyze the obstacles to obtaining housing insurance at a reasonable price, a problem encountered by residents of older neighbourhoods (e.g. heritage architecture not complying to norms, housing located above a commercial space, etc.).

Increase the number of municipal inspectors by establishing a minimum number per borough based on housing stock. Grant powers to these inspectors to enforce measures to maintain the soundness and habitability of housing, including ordering necessary maintenance work done within a reasonable delay at the building owner’s expense. Also, create an Action Protocol to counter housing insalubrity, notably in the case of parasitical and other infestations.

Adopt a municipal by-law that permits the expropriation of buildings that have been abandoned (barricaded) for over a year, or have undergone major renovations at the cost of the City that were not reimbursed by the owner.