A couple of sick, low-income seniors from Shawinigan who must move to avoid a substantial increase in the cost of their rent are experiencing immense stress after experiencing around fifty refusals to find affordable housing that also accepts their small dog.
“I’m almost making a burnoutI have trouble walking with my legs, osteoarthritis, packing boxes, moving is stressful,” worries Francine Joly, 76 years old.
She and her 68-year-old partner, Robert Boisclair, have been moving heaven and earth for a month to find a new home. The 4 1⁄2, no charges included, where they live in Shawinigan will go from $614 to $689 on 1er July. An increase under the pretext of “inflation,” the owners allegedly told the couple.
If the price seems low compared to other cities, it is impossible for the two eldest, who only have their old age pension as income, to assume this 12% increase.
“Otherwise, we’re going to be at each other’s throats. We will have to cut back on groceries, laundry, somewhere,” explains M.me Joly.
So far, they have contacted around fifty homeowners in Mauricie and Drummondville, where they would also like to settle, to no avail. Every time, the problem is Daisy, their little hypoallergenic shih tzu.
“I’ve spent a long month on the computer non-stop, sometimes in the evening I go to bed at midnight, usually at 9:30 p.m. I’m in bed. I leave a note and the next day, I hope to find an answer, but no, we do not accept animals,” laments the septuagenarian.
“She saved our lives”
According to the Corporation of Real Estate Owners of Quebec, one owner in four allows the presence of dogs. Even if the couple admits that the options are reduced, especially in a context of shortage, there is no question of abandoning Daisy.
“She saved our lives. He had a heart attack, heart clots, five blockages in six months, he needed something to cheer him up. I was very ill too, I was too worried about him. We think less about what’s happening, with the love we give it.”
According to the Montreal SPCA, in 2023, 400 animals were abandoned in the context of moving.
“It’s our baby, we wouldn’t abandon a baby, we won’t abandon our dog,” says Mr. Boisclair.
Excessive increase?
The Administrative Housing Tribunal suggests an increase of around 4% for housing in 2024. The spokesperson for the Popular Action Front in Urban Redevelopment, Véronique Laflamme, maintains that the couple would be entitled to contest this increase.
“This is clearly an excessive increase. In Shawinigan, rents are increasing due to real estate speculation. The elderly are among those with the lowest incomes and are particularly vulnerable in the context of shortages. Unfortunately sometimes, they don’t feel like fighting.”
It is indeed a battle that the couple does not want to fight.
“We really had good service with these people [les propriétaires] we don’t want to cause them any trouble. I prefer to leave,” explains Mr. Boisclair.
The owners, meanwhile, declined to comment.
