Cleaning up Montreal's stock of social housing a priority for Projet administration

Montreal's new mayor stood in the basement of AamirBhatti'scrumbling housing co-op during the election campaign, promisingher administration would do more for low-income tenants.

ValriePlante was carried to victory earlier this month, in part, by vowing to both expand the city's supply of social housing and improve its existing stock of affordable units.

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On Monday, she sent a signal that housing will be a priority of her administration. Plante announcedthe vice-chairof her executive committee,Magda Popeanu, will also be responsible for housing and real estate.

Popeanualso visitedBhatti'sred-bricked building in the Cte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grceborough during the election campaign. A collectionof temporary posts in the basement is all that is keeping the buildingfrom collapsing.

"She said, 'Don't worry, things will be done,'" recalled Bhatti, who is president of the tenant-run co-op."I'm hoping Magdawill do something."

Dealing with unsanitary units

The co-op on Barclay Avenueis among hundredsof properties the city funds or supervises, as part of its effort to ensure there issocial and affordable housing available tolow-incomeMontrealers.

However, not only is there a dire shortage of units an estimated 25,000 families are on Montreal's waiting list for subsidized housing but many of the existing buildingsare in poor condition.

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The tenants'rights groupRCLALQsaid unsanitary housing will be its top concern when its officials meetPopeanuin the coming days.

"The private supply of low-income housing is aging and is badly maintained," said RCLALQ's spokesperson,Maxime Roy-Allard.

"The owners have to be forced to conductthe necessary repairs and renovations. They can't be allowed to rent apartments that threaten the health of tenants, which is the case at the moment."

Popeanurememberedher visit to Bhatti's building, saying it was "unbelievable" that families were living in such conditions in Montreal.

"As a local issue, it will be the first thing we do to take care of this building because it's really dangerous,"saidPopeanu, who is also a city councillor forCte-des-NeigesNotre-Dame-de-Grce.

The borough has earned a reputation over the years as a haven for slumlords and squalid apartment buildings.Popeanusaid her experience working on such issues at the borough level means she's sensitive to the problemand willing to tackle it citywide.

"For me, it will be the biggest [priority]."

Boosting supply

During the campaign,Plantesaid her administration would hire 30 additional building inspectors and give them more power to hold landlords accountable for upkeep.

But city hall will also face pressure to keep Projet's promise toincrease the supply of affordable rental units for families.

The shortage of such units, saidRCLALQ's Roy-Allard, is reaching crisis levels. Though Montreal's real-estate market has shown signs ofrobust growth recently, that growth has been concentrated in the higher-end condominium market.

Few of the new apartment buildings coming onto the market have family-sized units.

"The private market does not meet this need, because it is not profitable enough,"Roy-Allard added.

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The city's efforts on that front may receive a boost later this week, ifthe federal government announcesits national housing strategy, as expected, on Wednesday.

Ottawa's goal is to build80,000 newaffordablerentalunits across the country over the next decade, through a combination of public moneyand private capital.

More than $10 billion has already been earmarked for the strategy, a portion of whichPopeanusaid she expects willbe spent in Montreal.