In the midst of the housing crisis, Laval tenants received a Christmas gift that they could have done without. An eviction notice was sent to them in December, because the buildings on Cartier Boulevard West that they occupy — for a total of 64 housing units — are earmarked for demolition to allow the construction of new rental buildings. At the end of their lease, in June, they would therefore have to relocate.
The receipt of eviction notices sent by bailiff during the month of December was a hard blow to tenants, some of whom have modest incomes. “The nights are short,” admits Richard Desjardins, who has lived in his three and a half for 31 years and pays $515 per month. He maintains that the owner agreed to pay him a sum of $12,000 since the law provides for the payment of compensation equivalent to one month’s rent per year of rental up to a maximum of 24 months. But according to Mr. Desjardins, this compensation is quite insufficient in the context of the surge in rents which is hitting all Quebec municipalities.
Last December 23Duty met seven tenants upset by the announcement of the upcoming demolition of the four buildings, which belong to a numbered company represented by Gardy Boucicaut. He intends to demolish the premises, whose construction dates back to the 1970s, to replace them with two buildings of six floors and 80 housing units each.
Concerns
Marie Boutin has lived in her three and a half apartment for 30 years, which costs her $587 per month. She doubts she will be able to find affordable housing for July and she is worried. “The future scares me,” she admits, concerned about having to move away from the neighborhood where she has lived for decades.
“I don’t understand why the City of Laval authorized the demolition,” says tenant Sylvie Cossette.
The City maintains that it could not prevent the demolition of the buildings. As these have no heritage value, the request was not subject to the demolition committee, it is argued. “The City does not have the power to prevent an owner from demolishing a building that belongs to them, unless it is a heritage building,” underlines Nesrine Saci, public affairs advisor for Laval, in an email. .
The City specifies that the requests for site planning and architectural integration for the two future buildings have received the approval of the executive committee, but that the construction permits have not yet been issued.
It was not possible on Wednesday to obtain comments from Gardy Boucicaut, despite our repeated requests since the end of December.
A difficult battle
A tenant for 13 years, Anne-Marie Gougeon lives in a three and a half apartment for $530 per month, and the prospect of looking for new accommodation distresses her. “I expect to pay double,” she said. And there will be 64 of us looking for accommodation at the same time. »
Helpless in the face of the loss of their housing and filled with the feeling of being abandoned to their fate, around ten tenants came together to contest their eviction. But the battle they are engaged in does not look easy. “We respect the owner’s decision to demolish, it is within his rights,” says Amira Abouhafs, a tenant for 12 years. However, she believes that tenants, who have limited income in some cases, receive very little help to find new housing.
-This group of tenants called on the Family Economy Cooperative Association (ACEF) of Laval, which is supporting them in their protest efforts. Letters expressing concerns about the demolition of the buildings and requesting that this operation be postponed were submitted to the city clerk. Some tenants have also notified the landlord of their refusal to leave their accommodation.
Micheline Côté, director of the ACEF of Laval, admits that the recourses available to tenants are limited given, in particular, the demolition authorization given by the City. “The ball is in the owner’s court,” she says. With their file submitted to the Administrative Housing Tribunal, tenants could at least obtain reimbursement of costs related to moving and reconnecting services, in addition to the compensation provided, she underlines.
In June 2024, the Legault government decreed a three-year moratorium on evictions in cases of subdivision, expansion or change of use. But this moratorium does not concern demolitions.
Mme Côté has difficulty understanding how the City can so easily allow the demolition of rental buildings. “When a community organization wants to open [une ressource]citizens have the right to be consulted, but there is nothing for tenants. And they found out at the last minute. »
The City of Laval ensures that it has contacted the Municipal Housing Office (OMH) of Laval, which has a housing search assistance service, so that tenants can be supported in their search for a new roof. But obtaining social housing promises to be difficult, because it is a very rare commodity, recognizes Félix Ross, head of strategy, partnerships and communications at the OMH in Laval. “The waiting list is very long,” he said. Currently, 1,496 households are waiting for social housing in Laval.
A crisis that continues
“For me, the absolute objective is to leave no one behind, and we have put in place solutions to ensure that current residents can be rehoused at a decent price,” indicated the mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, in a statement sent to Duty. “Obviously, the current housing crisis […] demands that we redouble our efforts to help our citizens, on all fronts, both in terms of housing choice and affordability. » Laval is experiencing “buzz” in terms of construction, with 42,000 new housing units in planning, but the elected official affirms that the City will soon present initiatives to help low-income households.
The developer’s project will increase the number of housing units on the site of the old buildings from 64 to 160. But increasing the number of housing units does not in any way resolve the crisis facing the housing sector, believes Cédric Dussault, spokesperson for the Regroupement des committees logement et associations de tenants du Québec. On the contrary, this type of operation worsens the crisis, he maintains. “There is nothing that justifies demolishing buildings to rebuild new ones. Every time we lose affordable housing, we can’t find it again. So it contributes to the housing crisis and the explosion in rents,” he explains. “Protecting housing affordability is what we have a lot of difficulty doing in Quebec. »
Micheline Côté recalls that the demolition of housing on Cartier Boulevard West comes two years after the holding of a housing summit in Laval. “It’s all a bit embarrassing,” she said.
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