7 Montrealers offer up solutions to fix city's housing woes

A new report by Montreal's public health department paints agrim picture ofMontreal'shousing situation. Mould, verminand food insecurity problems afflicthundreds of thousands of homes. Rented low-incomehouseholds are especially affected.

• Rented homes more likely to have sanitation problems: report

CBC News asked seven of Montreal's political, health andhousing leaders at a summit on Monday to share their top solutions to Montreal's housing troubles. This is what they had to say:

DenisCoderre,Mayor of Montreal

"The thing that we need to do now is that everybody [needs to] stick together and push in the same way."

RichardMass,director of public health of Montreal

"Affordable housing and sanitary housing is a priority and it has health impact that we're paying for, so the first thing that we need to see is a reinvestment in that health determinant."

MaudeBginGaudette, advocatefor affordable housing groupRCLALQ

"Introduce rent control."

Gilles Duceppe, Bloc Qubcois leader

"I think the federal government should maintain financing of affordable housing and social housing."

StphaneDion, Liberal Party candidate

"The main task for the federal government is to be a partner in infrastructure and to provide the funding for new housing and the housing that we already have."

MarjolaineBoutin-Sweet, NDP candidate

"The first priority would be to stop thehemorrhage. There are people who are about to lose their housing rightnow because we're losing rental subsidies."

Daniel Green, Green Party deputy leader

"To have social housing in Montreal you need to build housing. If we decontaminate federal urban lands in Montreal, such as old railway yards, we would have that space."