People bang pots as a caravan of Parc Extension residents pass by on Saturday. They want emergency measures to mitigate the housing crisis before leases expire July 1
Community group says area in need of both emergency housing, funding
The pillar outside the Parc métro station contained a graffito that read: Landlords = leeches.
It’s a sentiment shared by some of the participants in a caravan of bicycles and cars that wound through the streets of Parc Extension on Saturday, calling on the government to assist residents who might be facing eviction in the coming weeks.
Amy Darwish, a community organizer with the Comité d’action de Parc-extension (CAPE), said the COVID -19 pandemic has contributed to an existing housing crisis in the neighbourhood.
“We’re two weeks away from July 1 and we’re concerned many people are being forced out of their homes and they are struggling to afford decent and affordable housing,” Darwish said.
There has been a moratorium on evictions as part of the government response to the pandemic and rental board hearings have largely been on hold, but Darwish fears as restrictions are loosened many families will be adversely affected.
Gentrification is one contributing factor to what Darwish described as an explosion in rents. And the crunch has been exacerbated by demand from students at the new Université du Québec a Montréal science campus in Outremont.
“My landlord wants to turn his building into a residence for students,” said Mohamad Suleman, who pays $618 a month for the apartment on Querbes Ave., which has been his home for 15 years. “I have a wife and four children and I need a 5½-room apartment and I can’t find one for less than $1,800 or $1,900.
“It has been difficult for me to look for a new place in the pandemic because I have some health issues,” Suleman said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’ve always paid my rent on time and I’ve fixed by myself.”
Suleman has filed a complaint with the Régie du logement, but he’s not sure when he’s going to get a date with a mediator and whether the issue will be resolved by July 1, which is moving day in Quebec.
While tenants enjoy certain protections in Quebec, Darwish said there are many ways landlords can evict tenants.
“They can say they want the property for themselves or their relatives or they may be planning renovations,” Darwish said.
“Other tenants are being forced out because of harassment from their landlords. The vacancy rate is the lowest it’s been in 15 years and there are people who will be out on the street or find themselves in accommodations that are too small, too expensive and in poor condition.”
CAPE is asking the Quebec government to extend the moratorium on evictions and to address the housing crisis in the long term with a massive investment in social housing.
Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest announced an action plan to provide 1,800 rental subsidies and emergency relief to municipalities, but Darwish pointed out some of the subsidies will be in the form of loans that must be repaid, and the plan doesn’t address evictions.
CAPE also wants to see emergency housing, as well as funding, to help tenants with moving and storage expenses.