The two main candidates for the town hall of Montreal compete on the issue of housing, the day after 1is July. While one undertakes to make the broken promise of the Plant Administration to deliver a municipal rent register, the other reply that the project would simply not be applicable.
“We will absolutely have to work as a city to establish a register to preserve the right of tenants to a rent which is decent,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada on Wednesday on Wednesday, on the sidelines of a press conference in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
In March 2024, Valérie Plante had decreased on her promise to set up a compulsory rent register in Montreal, nevertheless reiterating her wish that the Quebec government will make it.
The mayor had at the same time announced a support of $ 30,000 to the living in the city, which launched an online rent register two years ago. The tool is however strictly voluntary and is essentially based on the good faith of users.
At that time, the city had cited legal problems, explaining that it could not have created such a register without legislative changes on the government side, in order to have the project recognized before the administrative housing court (TAL), which could have taken a lot of time and money.
Mme Martinez Ferrada retorts that it is possible to work with Quebec to unlock the file. “What is currently done by living in the city, by which the administration finally diluted its commitment to a few years ago, […] It doesn’t work, because you can’t trust it, “she said on Wednesday.
Photo Sarah Mongeau-Birkett, the press archives
Soraya Ferrada Martinez
“To have an effective register, it must first be compulsory and that it is verifiable. On the tool of living in the city, it is only a voluntary declaration of the tenants, ”added advisor Julien Hénault-Ratelle, alongside his head.
First a national register?
Called to react, the project manager Montreal and successor to Mme Plant, Luc Rabouin, retorted Wednesday that the city “unfortunately did not have the legal levers necessary to set up such a register”.
“A municipal register would not have the force of law. Only Quebec can create one that the court will recognize. This is exactly why so many municipalities, and even together Montreal, asked to create a national rent register. Housing groups support this claim, ”continued Mr. Rabouin.
In short, its posture is similar to that of Mme Plant. In the immediate future, Mr. Rabouin’s entourage says he is turned “towards a realistic approach rather than maintaining a promise impossible to hold”.
Photo Édouard Desroches, Archives La Presse
Luc Rabouin
As for the tool to live in the city, the latter is “imperfect, but has already demonstrated its usefulness,” said Mr. Rabouin. “It allows tenants to become aware of the abusive increases and to encourage them to challenge TAL if this is the case. This is why we continue to support him, ”he concluded.
All this occurs while around 2000 households are still awaiting accommodation in Quebec, about 300 more compared to the same period last year. A study published last week by Statistics Canada had also revealed that the average rent for a two -room apartment in Montreal was $ 1930 at the start of 2025, up 71 % compared to 2019.
At Vivre en Ville, the Director of Housing Adam Mongrain replied that the register of his organization “is in any point in terms of cybersecurity and privacy”. “It is a product that the government could have commanded by itself. It cost barely 2.5 million to do, then we know that it will not cost 20 million to maintain per year, as the government claims, “he said.
“Yes, we accept self-declarations, but it is simply a measure while waiting for a government to give it the strength of law. Made there, we can feed it with administrative data as a declaration of income, “then justified Mr. Mongrain, visibly irritated by criticism.
As for the realization of such a project, “this is a question of months, not a question of years,” concluded the director. “It could go extremely fast. It just takes political will. »»