Bill 492: a Misguided Tinkering, According to a Former Judge of the Régie du Logement

Tinkering: an attempt to repair or improve something in a casual or desultory way. This is how Pierre Gagnon, who has served at the Régie du Logement as an administrative judge since its inception in 1980, describes bill 492. Mr. Gagnon has just published an open letter in Le Devoir in which he requests a full operation review of the Régie du Logement.

It is important to note that bill 492 prohibits owners from repossessing a dwelling where a tenant of 70 years or more has been living for over 10 years and is eligible for low-rent housing program.

In his own words, by adopting this law, «The National Assembly has hastily adopted a clause clearly shaped by backwards age discrimination. » According to him, this «hides an endemic inability to match residential lease laws with the evolution of society. »

In his letter, Mr. Gagnon also deplores the inordinate hearing delays of the Régie du Logement, which he regarded as an «utterly unacceptable anomaly in such a changing field as the residential lease. »

As part of a solution, he proposes a genuine reform with the implication of all involved participants of the domain.

Click here to read the open letter (in French)