Ensemble Montréal pledges to speed up housing construction: ‘It’s the value of the future’

If elected, in its first mandate, Ensemble Montréal pledges to implement a series of measures to speed up housing construction.

Soraya Martinez Ferrada, leader of Ensemble Montréal and mayor candidate, was in Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension on Monday morning.

She held a press conference in front of a vacant building on Saint-Urbain Street, acquired by the City in 2019, and reiterated her party’s housing commitments.

In its first mandate, Ensemble Montréal pledges to implement a series of measures to speed up housing construction.

The current By-law for a Mixed Metropolis — the 20-20-20 rule — would be replaced by financial incentives and partnerships with real estate actors and nonprofits.

The party would also use incentive zoning to encourage affordable housing construction and establish a 90-day permit approval standard, supported by AI tools to simplify the application process.

“It’s the value of the future. It’s just saying that what the cost of not having social housing and affordable housing, it’s a cost to our own city because we can’t address the housing prices,” said Martinez Ferrada. “I’m just using the future equity and the future cost in the partnership, in the financial partnership with the private sector and non-profit, because the private can’t do. It’s not the responsibility to do affordable and social housing. So we have to partner with a non-profit. And if they don’t partner with a non-profit, well, they won’t get any incentives. I mean, the idea is that we are in a partnership where the city and non-profit and private sector can deliver faster in terms of housing.”

Ensemble Montréal also plans to leverage the city’s real estate equity to quickly develop vacant lots and buildings, notably through 70-year emphyteutic leases, property tax credits for affordable and social housing projects, and the creation of an Affordability Fund to build and acquire non-market housing, among other measures.

Martinez Ferrada also visited Mercier–Hochelaga–Maisonneuve, where she, among other things, announced a $7 million investment to expand the Hochelaga Community Centre, renovate the Pierre-Lorange Pool, and expand the Hochelaga Library.

She was also in Côte-des-Neiges–NDG announcing that if elected, her party’s administration would build a multisport centre in the Darlington district and launch the renovation of the Doug Harvey Arena, investing $50 million over 10 years for these projects.

“It’s important that our youth, our families, and all Montrealers have spaces where they can thrive. Sports infrastructure helps create winning living conditions for everyone — places where people can learn, come together, and grow. To make it happen, we must absolutely vote for change on November 2,” said Martinez Ferrada.