Montreal mayoral candidate Luc Rabouin proposes to update social housing bylaw

Luc Rabouin is vowing to change Montreal’s social and affordable housing bylaw if he becomes the next mayor of Montreal.

The Projet Montréal leader and mayoral candidate says the current bylaw is ineffective.

The existing “Règlement pour une métropole mixte” requires new construction developers to ensure at least 20 per cent social, affordable, and family housing in new developments. But Rabouin says the bylaw is unnecessarily complicated.

He is proposing a “new, simpler, clearer, and more effective regulation” to tackle the city’s housing crisis.

“We will build more non-market housing with predictable rules and complete transparency, ensuring that Montreal’s affordability is preserved,” said Rabouin.

“This is very, very important for us that people understand that we keep the goal to build a city for everyone, not only the people who are able to pay the price of the market, but we will have a bylaw really more simple and easier to plan in their project for the developers, not for profits.”

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Rabouin’s proposed bylaw would mean:

• Any project of more than 200 housing units would need to include at least 20 per cent non-market housing, owned by non-profit organizations or cooperatives. That target would be “more ambitious” in large strategic developments.
• Financial contributions will no longer be the default option.
• A new public dashboard would ensure real-time tracking of contributions, projects and available land.

Rabouin is also promising to create a special team – within the first 100 days of his administration – with a mandate to accelerate the completion of residential projects.