Tenants Association to march for social housing
In anticipation of a giant FRAPRU march from Ottawa to Quebec City September 2 to 29, under the theme "From Cities to Villages for Social Housing", the Sherbrooke Tenants Association is organizing a symbolic 8-kilometer walk on Saturday, April 7 between the office of Compton-stanstead MP and federal Minister Marie-claude Bibeau to the office of Sherbrooke MLA and provincial Minister Luc Fortin.
In order to join their voices to condemn the deterioration of the living conditions of tenant households in Sherbrooke and throughout Quebec, 46 groups from 13 different Estrie sectors have supported the construction of 5,000- social housing units over the next five years, including 1,500 in Sherbrooke.
These 46 groups also want to remind the ministers that the situation is
unsustainable for 1,495 renter households who pay more than 100 per cent of their income for housing, according to the latest Statistics Canada census. There is also urgency for the 6,105 tenant households who pay more than 50 per cent of their income for housing or those who have to choose between food and medication, and so on.
The current situation is not going to improve in the short term, the Association says, despite a federal government announcement on November 22 when the Canadian Housing Strategy was tabled, because, on the one hand, the Strategy will not enter into effect before this government’s second mandate and is dependent on it being re-elected and, secondly, the Strategy does not specify what kind of funding will be available for the construction of new social housing.
As for the provincial government, in the last five years, it has announced the completion of 12,000 new social housing units, a number that the Association deems insufficient to meet the urgent needs of the 195,635 renter households in Quebec who pay more than half their income for housing. In addition, funding was made available for only 9,953 new units.
Faced with what it calls “this deplorable lack of political will to ensure such a vital need for housing for all,” FRAPRU and its member groups voted last June to organize a major march from Ottawa to Quebec City, making stops in 28 towns and villages to discuss the issue of housing. For the cities outside the route, it was decided that local organizations should organize awareness and mobilization activities for the march.
In Sherbrooke, the members of the Tenants' Association chose, among other things, to organize a big 8 km symbolic march between the offices of the two ministers on Saturday, April, beginning at 9:30 a.m. at Bibeau's office at 175 Queen St. in Lennoxville.
The march is described as a peaceful, family friendly inclusive event and anyone can participate. To do so, people with reduced mobility will be able to participate in a bus following the marchers. During the march, speakers from the various sectors will speak and the march will be accompanied by a brass band, music, and slogans. A meal will be served for free. Those interested in participating should register by phone at 819-791-1541 or by email at à locataire1@videotron.ca.