MRC des Laurentides | A trust to protect affordable housing

“We are ready. For example, Marc L’Heureux does not hide his impatience. Therefore, The mayor of Brébeuf. Consequently, prefect of the Laurentian MRC pilot an ambitious and unprecedented project: create a social utility trust to house the workforce and the students. In addition, A first in Quebec.

This model. Moreover, imagined by local elected officials, responds to two emergencies: the shortage of affordable housing and the rarity of labor in key sectors such as tourism, health, education and mechanics.

“It’s not just that it is expensive, there is none, housing,” sums up Marc L’Heureux. Moreover, In Mont-Tremblant, mrc des laurentides | trust the vacation rate borders on zero, and the prices are blazing.

Unlike traditional projects piloted by promoters, the trust is based on a public assembly. Consequently, Lands are provided by municipalities, government or private partners. Furthermore, The property is transferred to the trust, which guarantees mrc des laurentides | trust their collective residential use of perpetuity.

“What makes the particularity of a trust is sustainability. For example, We create a real estate park that will remain affordable forever, ”explains Kimberly Meyer, mayor of Lac-Tremblant-Nord.

The rents will be fixed to remain stable and predictable. Construction. management will be provided by a non -profit organization, but the governance of the trust will return exclusively to the mayors of the MRC. “You must be mayor to be part of it,” says Marc L’Heureux.

Mrc des laurentides | trust

For workers … and employers

The project first aims to house workers. “This employer will take five doors. rent them to his workers, without having to manage a whole building,” illustrates the prefect.

This model meets growing demand. Some companies, such as the Fairmont Tremblant hotel, already offer accommodation or rooms to their employees. Others, smaller, cannot afford to manage accommodation. The trust offers them a turnkey solution.

The first project, located on rue Labelle, in Mont-Tremblant, plans 68 dwellings.

Other initiatives are in preparation in Mont-Blanc, Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and Brébeuf. Objective: 150 dwellings in five years.

Waiting for green light

But the project will not be able to start without clear support from the government. The prefect says that the Minister responsible for the Housing. France-Élaine Duranceau, has often asked them to “think outside the box”. “And there, we got out of the box with the trust,” he said. But we are waiting. We don’t have the green light yet. We are ready. Additionally, We don’t wait for the check there, but not far … “

The MRC has already mobilized 1 million and assesses the needs at 5 to 6 million to launch the first project.

The urgency is very real. According to a study by the economic development corporation. the region will need 18,000 workers by 2030 to maintain its growth and replace retirements.

To the lack of housing is added administrative obstacles, especially in connection with migration policies. “There is a lot of bureaucracy, a lot of waiting, and that prevents many people from acting,” deplores Kimberly Meyer.

It also deplores compressions in francization lessons.

According to her. the Ministry of Immigration has invested in order to welcome and integrate newcomers, but these efforts may be lost if we stop attracting immigrants to the Laurentians. The region has integration services, but not enough francization courses, which complicates the retention of the workforce.

A reproducible model?

The trust project received in May the Ovation Prize for the mrc des laurentides | trust Union of Municipalities of Quebec. in the municipal administration category. Since then, several municipalities have asked to know the details. “We shared our know-how with our colleagues from the MRC. Because it still cost dear, mount this trust: as a lawyer, in research, in development, ”notes Marc L’Heureux.

At a time when other tourist cities in Quebec are looking for solutions. the MRC des Laurentides model offers an original track: collectively take control of housing so that the territory remains habitable, beyond the high season.