The rental market has continued to tighten over the past year in Greater Montreal. After declining from 3% in 2021 to 2% in 2022, the overall vacancy rate was 1.5% in 2023—one of the lowest rates seen in 20 years.
As Canada faces the dual challenges of contending with a housing crisis at the same time as facing the impacts of severe climate change, the need to find innovative and practical solutions remains one of the nation’s highest priorities. McGill’s Professor Daniele Malomo was recently awarded $1.7 million by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) for a proposed solution that addresses both problems.
Residential energy use represents roughly one-fifth of annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. A team of researchers led by Ï㽶ÊÓƵ has used data from 60 million individual American households to look into how carbon emissions caused by household energy use vary by race and ethnicity across the country. Paradoxically, this first national level analysis found that even though energy-efficient homes are more often found in Caucasian neighbourhoods, carbon emissions from these neighbourhoods are higher than in African American neighbourhoods.
Canadian voters will be hearing a similar message from each of the major federal parties during the current election campaign: housing has grown too expensive, and we have a plan to fix it. The consensus reflects the increasingly dire state of housing in Canada, experts say, which affects everyone from prospective homeowners feeling squeezed out of the market to lower-income families languishing on waiting lists for affordable housing. ()
Premier François Legault says he recognizes there is a shortage of affordable housing in Quebec but says his comments that a person can rent an apartment in Montreal for between $500-$600 a month have been misinterpreted. A survey published by La Presse last weekend revealed the average price of a Montreal apartment is about $907 a month and often these units are in terrible shape. ()
The federal government unveiled its spending plans to manage the remainder of the COVID-19 crisis and chart an economic course in a post-pandemic Canada. The Liberals’ first budget in two years outlined the government’s plans for a national child-care system, including what strings will be attached to any spending. There were also measures to boost the supply of affordable housing and money aimed at greening the economy as the Liberals look to chart a path for promises on climate change.
The American online marketplace Airbnb has likely removed approximately 31,100 units from Canada’s long-term rental markets. This could make it difficult for Canadian cities and provinces to prevent growing housing affordability issues.
“On any given night, there are about 35,000 homeless people across Canada, and the number of families and children among them is growing at an alarming rate, a new report reveals.