Debate on housing shows need for policy reform

If there’s one thing that representatives from all four political parties agreed on in a housing debate on Wednesday, it’s that provincial policies are in need of major reform.

While the leaders debated on English and French TV this week, Liberal Lise Thériault, Coalition Avenir Québec’s Mario Laframboise, Parti Québécois’s Carole Poirier and Québec Solidaire’s Simon Charron attended Quebec’s first election debate on housing policy, held in Laval and organized by L’Organisme d’autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec and other industry groups.

Broadcast on Facebook Live, the French-language debate was worth tuning in for and can be replayed on the OACIQ’s Facebook page. Targets of reform identified were the Régie du logement’s dispute resolution process and regulations regarding co-property to ensure condominiums are properly managed.

Whether you’re a renter or a homeowner, housing policies affect us all where we live.

Laws governing rental rights for both tenants and landlords are outdated, and the process to resolve complaints is complicated and lengthy. And despite Montreal having lower rents than many other Canadian cities, far too many struggle to find safe, affordable housing.

Home ownership rates in the province continue to lag behind those in the rest of Canada, with 61 per cent of Quebecers owning homes, compared to 68 per cent of Canadians. It’s even lower in Montreal; at 55 per cent, our home ownership rate is among the lowest in the country.

Meanwhile, those who have scraped together a down payment and taken the plunge to buy a home are more vulnerable to risk than those in other Canadian cities that have stricter rules and regulations to protect homeowners. Compared to their counterparts in Ontario or B.C., condo owners here are more likely to face surprise bills for repairs to poorly maintained buildings, and have more difficulty resolving disputes when co-owners clash.

According to Thériault, changes are already underway with the passing of Bill 401 in June, which addresses building quality, condo regulations and the operation of the régie.

Still, while all agreed the bill is a good start, there’s still much to be done to improve access to justice and strengthen laws that help ensure homeowners can protect their investments.

All parties agreed complaints filed with the régie, an estimated 70 per cent of which are related to nonpayment of rents, are taking far too long to resolve, some averaging more than 20 months.

On the condo front, since the last major overhaul to co-ownership laws in 1994, the number of units in Quebec has swelled from 85,000 to 317,000 in 2017. According to the Regroupement des gestionnaires et copropriétaires du Québec (RGCQ), the boom has exposed serious flaws in the legislation. Today, for example, a growing number of older condo buildings are facing expensive repairs to fix poor quality construction or inadequately done maintenance, yet many of these older buildings have not accumulated the reserve funds needed to finance the work, because the minimum saving requirements were set too low.

In Quebec, as in most provinces, real estate and related activities are a major economic driver, responsible for an estimated 172,000 jobs and annual investments of $29.2 billion.

While other issues that have been front and centre this election, such as immigration, health care, education and language, are also important, as you decide which name to check off on your ballot, it’s worth taking the time to dig into some of the housing policy differences among the parties.

The decisions our government will make on these and other housing issues will affect each and every one of us, whether or not we work in the industry or own property.