Montreal residents will gather near the métro Mont-Royal in Montreal on Wednesday demanding measures to ensure the right to housing.
The Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Québec (RCLALQ), who organized the demonstration, is calling for an immediate rent freeze, the implementation of real rent control, measures to counter fraudulent evictions and the resignation of Quebec Housing Minister, France-Élaine Duranceau.
Since 2013, the RCLALQ held protests across the province on April 24 marking the day as “Tenant’s Day.”
According to a new report from Urbanation and Rentals.ca, rent growth remained hot in Montreal during March, as asking rents for apartments increased 0.8 per cent month-over-month and 9.3 per cent year-over-year to reach a record-high average of $2,051.
Compared to March 2020, average asking rents in Canada increased by a total of 21 per cent, equal to an average annual increase of just over 5 per cent during the latest four-year period.
On Tuesday, Duranceau announced that Quebec would provide $7.8 million to municipalities and housing offices in different regions.
These contributions will make it possible to set up housing assistance services and assist households who pay for temporary accommodation or storage and transportation.
The government also says it has made the ‘Rent Supplement Program’ more flexible so that people on the waiting list have quicker access to subsidized housing.