Industry partners meet with vice-president of Montréal's executive committee

MONTREAL, June 9, 2023 - The Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ), the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l'habitation du Québec (APCHQ), the Corporation des propriétaires immobiliers du Québec (CORPIQ) and the Institut de développement urbain du Québec (IDU) met with Benoit Dorais, Vice-President of the Executive Committee of the City of Montreal, to discuss the municipality's vision for housing. In this area, the City of Montreal shares the view that it is necessary to complete an objective inventory to lay the foundations for an action plan with all players: the municipalities, the provincial government, the federal government, the community sector, the private sector and civil society.

"Quebec municipalities are the front line in dealing with the housing crisis, which is also combined with the mobility crisis and the climate crisis. However, they cannot be the only ones to tackle it. We applaud the mobilization of housing industry partners, who are responding with tangible solutions. The issues of densification, investment in community infrastructure and social and affordable housing, and the challenges facing the construction market call for concerted action by all governments and civil society players. Montreal will continue to lead the way in implementing solutions to ensure the city's affordability for generations to come," says Benoit Dorais, vice-president of the executive committee, responsible for housing, real estate strategy and legal affairs at the City of Montreal.

"Like many cities in Quebec, the City of Montreal is experiencing a major housing shortage, with a 2% vacancy rate. Faced with this situation, the city has chosen to act by focusing on a global approach that goes beyond buildings and takes into account people and their living environment. We believe that these are interesting directions to take to stem the crisis," emphasize the spokespersons for housing industry partners Guillaume Houle of the ACQ, Maxime Rodrigue of the APCHQ, Marc-André Plante of the CORPIQ and Isabelle Melançon of the IDU.

The need for concerted action

At a time when the housing shortage is responsible for soaring rental housing prices and difficult access to home ownership, the only way to reduce overheating in a sustainable way is to increase supply. Housing industry partners are looking forward to working with Quebec's municipal leaders to find solutions that will further stimulate housing construction and review the many mechanisms that are holding back housing starts.

" To improve the supply situation and establish a long-term vision that will enable us to emerge from the crisis, we believe that all players in the housing sector must roll up their sleeves and look in the same direction to find solutions to increase and accelerate the development of new housing units. We believe that the voice and role of municipalities in this regard are essential," say the industry partners.

Towards a national housing action plan

Given that the municipal sector is facing critical housing issues without a suitable source of funding, the partners believe that the various levels of government must jointly conduct an objective examination of the challenges and issues that are responsible for the crisis in the housing sector.

To address the housing shortage in all regions of Quebec, the four organizations maintain that this joint diagnosis is essential to enable government authorities at all levels to draw up a genuine action plan in which their respective actions will be complementary and coherent. Armed with these objective findings and this plan, government authorities will be able to bring together all the players, social and economic, to meet the housing challenge.

 

About the ACQ

The Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ) is the main group promoting and defending the interests of contractors in the Quebec construction industry. Over the years, it has become the largest voluntary multi-sectoral group in the industry. As the sole employer bargaining agent for all employers in the institutional, commercial and industrial sectors, the ACQ represents nearly 18,000 companies that generate more than 60% of the total hours worked and reported in the industry. In addition to playing an active and credible role in industry-wide decision making, the ACQ offers its members a wide range of tools and services through an extensive network of 10 regional associations in 17 cities across Quebec.

For information, contact:

Guillaume Houle | Media Relations

Phone: 514-354-8249, extension 2173

Cell: 514-607-7210

Email: houleg@acq.org

 

About the APCHQ

Founded in 1961, the APCHQ is a private, non-profit organization whose mission is to promote and develop the expertise of its 20,000 member companies in 13 regional associations. Through its technical, legal, occupational health and safety, labour relations and training services, as well as its government and public affairs activities, the APCHQ helps its members develop their skills and thrive in a highly competitive environment. In addition, the APCHQ has the mandate to negotiate on behalf of 16,000 employers in the housing industry for the renewal of collective agreements in the construction industry. Since 2018, the APCHQ has helped thousands of consumers find a contractor that meets their needs through trouverunentrepreneur.com, the largest directory of construction and renovation contractors in Quebec.

For information, contact:

Émilie Hermitte

Communications and Public Relations Advisor

Cell: 514-237-7096

Email: emilie.hermitte@apchq.com

 

About CORPIQ

CORPIQ is a non-profit organization that brings together 30,000 landlords and property managers who own nearly 500,000 rental units and condos. It is the largest association providing services to landlords and has been defending their interests for over 40 years. CORPIQ serves all regions of Quebec from four offices with a total of 70 employees. Quebec landlords, seven out of 10 of whom own a duplex or triplex, provide housing for 1.4 million tenant households. They are an essential link in Quebec’s housing ecosystem and social fabric, often acting as first responders to increasingly serious social problems.

For information, contact:

Marc-André Plante

Director, Public Affairs and Government Relations

Phone: 514-249-1691

Email: maplante@corpiq.com

 

About the UDI

Founded in 1987, the Urban development institute of Quebec (UDI) is an independent, non-profit organization and the leading representative of the commercial real estate industry in Quebec. The UDI develops content related to real estate and the urban landscape. It acts primarily as a partner to industry members, public authorities and all stakeholders in the commercial real estate ecosystem.

For information, contact:

Emmanuella Tchanga

Marketing and Communications Manager

Phone: 514-866-3625, extension 4

Cell: 514-291-6093

Email: etchanga@idu.quebec