While the housing crisis continues to worsen, a new tragedy reminds us of the brutality of its consequences. In less than 30 hours, two elderly people without housing were discovered without life. These news should be profoundly concerning to everyone.
These 2 people, who were well known in their community, didn’t die from the cold or from overdoses, they died from health issues. One of them was found in an accommodation center and the other in a heating station – places that should be offering some amount of security for our homeless population. Their deaths show an alarming reality: the extreme difficulty of accessing healthcare for the most vulnerable people.
This situation comes up in a particularly concerning context. According to La Presse, a 16-million-dollar cut is affecting resources for the homeless population. These cuts are happening during a period where the need for them explodes in importance, which accentuates the pressure on organisms that are already suffering.
This crisis brings up a multitude of new policies. The Green Party of Quebec recently proposed a key measure ahead of the 2026 election: a mandatoty reduction for rents by 5% per year for 4 years, for a total reduction of 20%. The objective is clear: to offer much-needed relief to renters while also directly addressing the ‘overheating of the housing market’.
The party leader, Alex Tyrrell, affirms that the housing crisis now affects an increasing percentage of the population. He adds that, since 2010, rent has increased way faster than salaries, which creates an imbalance that even fragilizes the position of full-time workers. According to him, using government mechanisms we could turn around the current logic to lower rents instead of increasing them. This would help to rapidly reduce the financial pressure on households.
The party advances that this measure could stop real estate speculation. Limiting this ever-present rise in rent year over year could finally stabilize or even diminish the value of rental properties. This would, in turn, reduce the stress put on renters and landlords. Alex Tyrrell warns that a much larger crisis, comparable to the 2008 financial crisis, could happen if nothing is done.
The vice-leader of the party, Halimatou Bah, insists on the social impacts of the crisis. Notably, she mentions the visible increase in homelessness all over the province and the direct link between the lack of accessible housing and domestic violence. Without access to secure housing, it becomes increasingly difficult for many people to leave abusive situations and rebuild their lives.
These measures are part of a broader debate on the solutions that must be put in place. On one hand, structural measures like the control or reduction of rent are put forward. On the other hand, budgetary constraints applied to support services are detrimental to the ability to properly respond to immediate emergencies.
These recent deaths in Montreal cannot be ignored in this housing crisis context. They show, in a very tragic way, the consequences of a system under pressure where the lack of affordable housing, the inadequacy of the services in place, and budgeting choices cross paths. Now more than ever, the housing crisis is not only an economic issue, but also a fundamental question of dignity and social justice.
