Québec Solidaire announced on January 25(1) that it wanted the Legault Government to put housing first by offering lower interest rates for non-private housing.
This request follows the implementation of the new PHAC program, Québec’s affordable housing program that succeeded the Accès-logis program. But to date, no housing has been offered, and few are under construction.
QUÉBEC SOLIDAIRE’S PROPOSALS
• Cutting red tape from Government programs to get projects off the ground faster.
• Offer a preferential interest rate to non-market housing projects, i.e. housing projects that are not initiated by the private sector.
• Encourage the development of two-generational homes or additional dwellings in single-family homes, to promote “soft densification”.
The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) agrees with Québec Solidaire on the principle that the rental stock must be increased and new construction offered more quickly.
But why exclude the private park?
Private landlords are also facing financing problems and are feeling the effects of interest rate increases.
The more housing units are available, the more affordable rental prices can be. And many tenants want to live in buildings in the private park and not in a community or social-housing building.
The Association des Propriétaires du Québec (APQ) believes that splitting these proposals based on private or public investment is the wrong signal to send.
The APQ will closely follow this file because, in addition to wanting to exclude the private housing park, the spokesperson, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, has not been able to justify this choice:
“Which program could replace the PHAC? How much would the lower interest rate program cost, why not include the private sector? “Not all the details have been finalized yet this morning,” Nadeau-Dubois said.
A “drudgery” of housing: A negative term which seeks to exclude owners deprived of assistance
