Tenants seeking help jumps by 63% since 2023 as housing crisis worsens on Montreal’s West Island
Posted August 12, 2026 11:51 am.
Last Updated August 12, 2026 12:17 pm.
The number of tenants seeking the help from a local housing committee jumped by over 63 per cent this year compared to 2023 as the crisis worsens on Montreal’s West Island.
In 2025-26 alone, the West Island Tenants’ Action Committee (CALODI) helped 633 tenants, an increase of 16.4%.
The most common reason why West Islanders contacted CALODI was rent increase with over quarter of the calls received. This was followed by eviction cases constituting over one in 10 clients.
CALODI’s data showed that a third of the tenants on the West Island spent over 30 per cent of their income on rent, a level only below which housing is considered affordable by the Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC).
From 2023 to 2024, rent for a two-bedroom apartment increased by $352 per month on average in Pointe-Claire, by $239 in Pierrefonds. In October 2025, the median rent for a two-bedroom apartment in Pointe-Claire was $1,800, in Dollard-des-Ormeaux was $1,475, in Pierrefonds was $1,400 and in Dorval at $1,250 based on CMHC survey.
“There is a severe lack of social housing in the West Island,” said Lily Martin, community organizer at CALODI.
She added that there were seven building offering 385 affordable housing units in the area.
“All of the residences are for seniors only, meaning that there are zero HLM units in the West Island for individuals under 65 or for families.”
The housing committee’s annual report showed that not only was there an increase in number of tenants seeking help, the number of interventions on cases also jumped by over 25% with each file requiring 2.7 interventions on average.
