On Tuesday, the partners of Chantier Montréal abordable tabled their final report, which focuses on a new model for housing intervention. Co-signed by 12 members from the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, the report proposes solutions to increase the overall supply of housing, in particular by targeting the construction and protection of non-market housing.
The City of Montreal welcomes the conclusions of this report, and today presents two initial measures to house more Montrealers. The aim is to accelerate housing construction, protect the affordability of existing housing, achieve a 20% share of non-market housing and better protect tenants' rights.Report from Chantier Montréal abordable
The members of Chantier Montréal abordable have presented their final report. The report, the result of two years of intensive work, proposes concrete solutions to the housing crisis affecting many Montrealers. Launched in 2022 at the initiative of the Ville de Montréal, Chantier Montréal abordable brought together experts from the private, non-profit, financial and municipal sectors to develop a new model for housing intervention.
This final report is the fruit of this collaboration, and reflects the diversity of expertise and perspectives involved in tackling the current crisis in a comprehensive and integrated way. The report highlights the deepening housing crisis, driven by economic factors such as rising interest rates and construction costs, as well as labor shortages. Despite these challenges, hundreds of social and affordable housing units have been launched, and hundreds of homes and rooms have been withdrawn from the speculative market over the past two years.
The report proposes measures to accelerate the construction of all types of housing, with the aim of building 120,000 units in 10 years in Montreal. A significant increase in the supply of non-market housing is needed to ensure sustainable affordability and curb rent increases. Ultimately, the city will need to have 20% off-market housing by 2050 to ensure the long-term affordability of its housing stock.
Chantier Montréal abordable is also calling on the governments of Canada and Quebec to join in this collective effort. The coordination of efforts between the various governments is crucial to support the development of social and affordable housing, necessary to meet the needs of the most vulnerable households.
Quotes
“Chantier Montréal abordable was born of the urgency and determination of the City of Montreal and real estate players from all walks of life to find solutions to the affordable housing crisis. The report tabled today lays the groundwork for a common vision to guarantee long-term affordability, notably through the construction, renovation and acquisition of off-market housing. This report is obviously not an end in itself, but rather a springboard for continuing our work together, because we can't afford to miss this essential collective objective: housing all those who need it,” said Édith Cyr, General Manager of the social economy enterprise Bâtir son quartier.
“Our fundamental observation is that we need to increase the supply of all types of housing to solve the crisis. To achieve this, we need to prioritize densification of the built environment, both for social and community housing and for private properties. We must also offer a predictable environment, as permitted by Bill 31, to facilitate the realization of all types of project. It is through dialogue that we have come to these conclusions, and it is also through dialogue that we will be able to translate them into concrete projects,” said Roger Plamondon, outgoing President of Groupe immobilier Broccolini.
Read the final report of Chantier Montréal abordable
Two new measures to house more Montrealers
Following the recommendations of Chantier Montréal abordable, the Montreal administration will put in place the right mechanisms to meet current and future housing demand by promoting the construction of thousands of housing units, with a target of 20% of housing units off the market by 2050.
The first two measures announced aim to accelerate housing construction in the metropolis, by introducing a target for permit delivery times and financial support for the start-up of non-market housing projects.
1. A target deadline for project permits in their own right
To combat the affordability crisis and to follow up on the conclusions of the Chantier Montréal abordable final report, Montréal is committed to adopting, over the coming year, a target of 120 days maximum for the issuance of construction and conversion permits for real estate projects in their own right. This measure, which stems from the work carried out by the Cellule facilitatrice, will offer predictability to both private and community builders.
In order to meet the maximum target time of 120 days and optimize monitoring methods, the city is committed to standardizing the monitoring tool and the way in which timeframes are measured in the 19 boroughs, and to filing an annual report.“The housing crisis is hitting Montreal hard, as it is everywhere else in Quebec. To deal with it, we need to focus on two strategies at once: facilitating new housing starts, and protecting existing units. Several concrete and robust measures will be applied in Montreal, including financial support for the start-up of off-market units, and setting a 120-day service standard for the issuance of a building or residential conversion permit in its own right. Our administration continues to push to the maximum the limits of the powers and means at the City's disposal to succeed in housing more Montrealers. By optimizing these procedures, we hope to see more projects get off the ground more quickly. In so doing, we are responding to a demand from both private and community developers, on whom we are counting to improve the supply of housing in the metropolis,” declared Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
2. Start-up support for non-market housing projects
The City of Montreal is also announcing a financial support measure of $3 million over 3 years, starting in 2025, to help organizations with non-market, social or affordable housing projects get off the ground. This envelope will provide financial support to cover part of the start-up costs, thereby accelerating project implementation.
“One of the clearest conclusions to emerge from Chantier Montréal abordable was the need to support projects right from the start. The sooner we support projects, the more we avoid costs and delays later in the process. With this measure, we want to send an important signal to developers of non-market housing projects, while being consistent with the objective we've set ourselves of having 20% non-market housing in Montreal by 2050. It's an achievable goal if we all work together,” said Benoit Dorais, vice-president of the executive committee and responsible for housing, real estate strategy and legal affairs.
The terms and conditions of the fund will be announced in the fall of 2024, and the funds will be available as of 2025. This measure responds to a request from the community sector to support project start-ups.
Members of Chantier Montréal abordable
Created in the summer of 2022 at the initiative of the Ville de Montréal, Chantier Montréal abordable is co-chaired by Édith Cyr, general manager of the social economy enterprise Bâtir son quartier, Roger Plamondon, outgoing president of Groupe immobilier Broccolini, and Benoit Dorais, vice-president and head of housing on the Ville de Montréal executive committee.
In addition to these co-presidents, the member organizations of the advisory committee are :
- Caisse d'économie solidaire ;
- Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ ;
- Institut de développement urbain du Québec ;
- New Market Funds ;
- Prével ;
- SHDM ;
- Société de développement Angus ;
- SOLIDES ;
- UTILE.
