The leader of the Green Party of Quebec, Alex Tyrrell, took the stage this Saturday, August 27, in Montreal, to present the candidacy of Véronique Langlois, the Green Party's official candidate for the 2022 provincial election, in the riding of Mercier. Together, they took a public stand on a very important provincial issue: the housing crisis. In Quebec, apartment rents have risen by an average of 16% since 2020 in metropolitan areas, well above the annual inflation rate of 4.7%. Through its housing policy, the Green Party of Quebec is calling for structural changes in the real estate market, changes that will give tenants the opportunity to become homeowners, stop real estate speculation and protect tenants from abuse by large housing companies. The Green Party of Quebec intends to put forward this policy during the elections as a solution to the housing crisis.
The leader of Quebec's Green Party took the opportunity to clarify the party's position on the housing crisis. The Green Party of Quebec wants to expropriate all rental units owned by real estate companies with more than ten units. These units will be paid at 80% of pre-pandemic value and become the property of a new government corporation: Habitations Québec. People living in the units will have two options: either to buy their unit for the amount Habitations Québec paid, or to continue renting it, but this time with an option to buy. Tenants who become owners will pay certain building maintenance fees; the equivalent of condo fees in cost. Tenants will see part of their rent cover maintenance costs, while the rest of their rent will be put into a savings account that can be used to buy the unit, return to school, retire or buy a property outside the Habitations Québec program. The PVQ believes that such a policy would provide an opportunity to solve Quebec's housing crisis.
