Viral discriminatory ad highlights tenant struggles ahead of Quebec’s Moving Day: advocate

A lineup around the block to visit a Montreal apartment and an overtly discriminatory rental ad – two separate viral posts in Quebec are highlighting tenant struggles ahead of Moving Day.

The pressure is on in Quebec for several renters ahead of July 1, a day that has become particularly challenging in the province amid a housing crisis.

Dozens of families are at risk of becoming homeless on Moving Day, the annual day in Quebec where thousands of leases expire in bulk.

Recent viral social media posts, potentially emblematic of the province’s housing struggles, has one advocate imploring the government to take action.

“The rental market is very saturated right now,” said Mohammad-Afaaq Mansoor with the Comité d’action de Parc-Extension (CAPE). “And this gives an outside power to landlords to decide who gets to have decent housing.

“And in this, they can do a plethora of things such as discrimination, choose the cleanest, most perfect tenants and use any stereotypes, prejudices they have against any sort of groups in their favour, and even illegal tactics like ask for rent deposit.”

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FROM MOVING DAY 2022:

• Estimated 77 households in Montreal ‘out in the street’ after July 1 Moving Day 
• Shelters and organizations say they are short on volunteers for Moving Day 

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Mansoor feels two recent social media posts demonstrate precisely those issues.

A video taken in Montreal appears to show a line of prospective tenants wrapping around the block to view an apartment. The original video posted to TikTok last week titled “Montreal’s housing crisis” had nearly two million views.

“The lines going around the block, you see that we’re in a housing crisis,” said Mansoor.

Meanwhile an ad posted May 30 to a Facebook group titled “Le spotted officiel de St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu” has drawn widespread criticism for explicit discrimination.

The rental ad for an apartment in Chambly, Que., was posted by what appears to be the landlord, Gabrielle Livernoche. In it she writes:

“Large five-and-a-half for rent in Chambly, two parking spaces, with large individual shed. $1,250 month. However, we do not rent to tattooed people, nor to people of any minority.”

The original post, which has received thousands of comments online, angered many.

“You have no right to write this kind of ad,” one commenter wrote. “You’re breaking the law. I’ve reported you. It’s unacceptable in 2023 to segregate tenants. You’re breaking the Quebec Charter of Rights And Freedoms.”

Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms states landlords cannot discriminate against tenants based on civil status, age, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

Mansoor feels the ad is representative of how some people truly feel.

“It’s not shocking to see that kind of post because most people are not that explicit about it because it’s completely illegal, but there are so many implicit ways to do kind of the same and never get caught,” he said.

Mansoor believes the housing situation is particularly worrisome in Montreal’s Park Extension.

“There’s this wave of gentrification happening and evictions are happening,” he said. “The landlords are going to cater to a more middle-class student-based population, professional class. And this is going to definitely have a pressure.

“We’re already seeing this. Evictions have gone up. It’s impossible for people who are evicted to find housing in part because rents are just so high. The new places are being renovated, rents are unaffordable.

“And probably there’s discrimination, people are refusing to rent to families, immigrant families, a lot of children.”

@brucewaynewashere #montreal et sa crise du logement ???? #mtltiktok #montrealtiktok #pourtoi ♬ original sound - Jéricho