A tenants group is speaking up about the decrepit state of social housing in Quebec, which continues to deteriorate as the cost of repairs rises. A man wears a cardboard house on his head during a demonstration calling for more affordable and social housing in Montreal, Saturday, May 8, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
A tenants group is speaking up about the decrepit state of social housing in Quebec, which continues to deteriorate as the cost of repairs rises. A man wears a cardboard house on his head during a demonstration calling for more affordable and social housing in Montreal, Saturday, May 8, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
MONTREAL - A tenant group is speaking out about the decrepit state of social housing in Quebec, which continues to deteriorate as the cost of repairs rise.
The number of units earning a D or E grade, indicating they need major work, has gone from 18,644 in 2020 to 25,974 in 2022.
Representatives of the group spoke to reporters in front of a six-unit building in Montreal that has been barricaded since 2019. They said the repair bill for the low-rent building would have been $271,000 in 2020, but would cost $438,000 today because of inflation and rising construction costs.
The group is accusing the province of breaking its promises and is calling on François Legault's government to put up the $2.2 billion it had pledged for social housing repairs.