Tenant rights groups to rally against high rents in Montreal, Quebec City on moving day
Posted June 30, 2026 1:39 pm.
Last Updated June 30, 2026 2:47 pm.
Tenant advocacy groups will hold rallies on Wednesday, July 1, in Quebec City and Montreal, “against high housing costs.”
The coalition against high housing costs, known by its French acronym COLOC, is supported by two well-known tenant advocacy groups: the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) and the Regroupement des comités logements et associations de locataires (RCLALQ).
The coalition is inviting tenants and those who support the cause of the right to housing to come out and demonstrate, wearing a key pinned to their shirt, hat, or bag.
“By carrying a key with you, you’re making a simple statement: housing is a right, not an opportunity for profit,” says COLOC.
Two “protest rallies” are scheduled for 11 a.m. in Quebec City, in front of the Administrative Housing Tribunal on René-Lévesque Boulevard, and at 11 a.m. in Montreal, at the corner of Assomption Boulevard and Marseille Street, near the Assomption metro station.
Over 500 people had responded on the event page on Facebook as of Tuesday afternoon.
FRAPRU states that the Administrative Housing Tribunal building in Quebec City was chosen because it is “a symbolic site of the failure of current tenant protections.”
The organizers are also inviting tenants to display a banner on their balconies to convey their messages.
The coalition has three demands: “massive” expansion of public housing, “real rent control” in Quebec, and recognition of the right to housing in the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“Every year, thousands of people are forced to leave their homes without a stable solution. Meanwhile, the housing affordability crisis continues to worsen, and government responses remain inadequate. With the elections approaching, no party will be able to ignore this reality,” argues FRAPRU in its call to join the protests.
On Monday, it was reported that two days before Quebec’s traditional moving day—July 1—more than 3,100 Quebec households were still searching for housing across the province.
About 100 local, regional, and national organizations are also part of this coalition. The FTQ labor federation, for example, supports the cause and is inviting its members to participate in the protests via its Facebook page, where it provides details on the events.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
