14 Quebec mayors call on Quebec to do more to curb unwarranted rent increases

The mayors of 14 Quebec municipalities have published an open letter, demanding among other initiatives, that the government establish a mandatory public rent registry to help ease the affordable housing crisis. 

The signatories of the letter, first published in the Journal de Montréal Wednesday, include the mayors of Quebec City, Laval, Granby, Gatineau, Rimouski, Mascouche, Saguenay and Sherbrooke, along with the mayor of Montreal's Sud-Ouest borough.

They denounced part of the Coalition Avenir Québec government's recently tabled housing legislation, Bill-31, which would make it harder for landlords to evict tenants but would also prevent tenants from transferring their leases — a limitation which the mayors say would lead to more rent hikes. 

"Being able to transfer the lease to someone else when you're leaving is one tool, maybe not the perfect tool, but it's one of the few tools tenants currently have," said Rimouski Mayor Guy Caron, in an interview with CBC.

"We should not be removing that tool right now, until we are able to look at the whole situation, the whole problem, in a systemic manner."

In their open letter, the mayors say the proposed law wouldn't be so controversial if landlords filled out the mandatory section G of a lease — which indicates how much the previous tenant paid in rent — so new tenants would know whether their rent is justified or contestable.

The law requiring landlords to fill out Section G is not being enforced, they say, citing a Léger poll that shows only 20 per cent of tenants say their landlord completed that section of their lease. 

"There is a concrete solution, ready to roll out immediately: a public, universal and mandatory rent registry," the mayors say in the letter.

With a public rent registry, tenants can see exactly how much rent the previous tenant paid and decide whether to contest excessive hikes at the provincial administrative housing tribunal.

"We know that this solution is more necessary — and realistic — than ever," says the letter. "And Quebec already has the necessary data sources for a register to apply immediately, in all its regions." 

Caron says though his municipality isn't as big as Montreal, residents are feeling the effects of the housing crunch. Rents in Rimouski increased by 25 per cent in the last year, he said.

"We're getting close to Montreal levels of unaffordability," said Caron.

"We need to give ourselves all the tools we can to re-establish some balance in the housing market." 

A provincewide rent registry is one of those tools, he said.

Another is the online resource kit offered by Vivre en Ville, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving urban life, which the organization has handed off to the provincial government free of charge, Caron and the other signatories say in their letter. 

"Mayors are trying to do as much as they can, said Adam Mongrain, Vivre en Ville's director of housing policy. "But there are other tools that could be used in a structural way to keep rents stabilized and help the entire housing market."

"Having the same information allows markets to work properly.... and that information is not provided systematically."

He said the only cost to the government to make use of his group's resources is that it would need to input its own data instead of keeping the onus on landlords.

In Montreal, 95 families with nowhere to live

In February 2022, Montreal launched its own rental price registry and a certification program for landlords but was criticized for not cracking down hard enough on "abusive" rent increases.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante confirmed Wednesday there will be at least 95 families in the city who will find themselves without a home come moving day Saturday.

She said the housing crisis is beyond the scope of the city's powers.

"This need for a registry throughout Quebec is so important, I think it would be a great and simple gesture that would work," said Plante.  She said she stands with the 14 mayors who published their open letter.

"Put the registry on. It would be such a great move — a simple one and a way to reassure people that they care about what's happening right now.'

WATCH | Montreal's housing crisis explained:

What's behind Montreal's housing problem, and what could ease it

1 year ago

Duration 2:41

With rents continuing to rise, and the price of buying a home doing the same, we break down what's driving the housing crisis in Montreal.