The city of Montreal announced Wednesday that it will award $6.3 million to the Work Unit for the Implementation of Student Housing (UTILE) to support the implementation of a community service project in the Ville-Married district.
Published at 7:31 p.m.
Le Méridien will open on Saint-Laurent Boulevard at the corner of Ontario Street and will be able to accommodate up to 281 students in the 2026 school year, Mayor Valérie Plante’s office announced. “The student body will be located near educational institutions, public and active transportation routes and essential services,” he said in a press release.
Not far away are the University of Quebec in Montreal, McGill University as well as the Saint-Laurent subway station and several bus lines.
This is the largest non-profit housing project in Montreal dedicated exclusively to UTILE student clients. The organization’s two other projects have received funding from the city in the past, bringing its investment in UTILE to over $12 million. All of this is intended to “enable 586 students to find appropriate accommodation at an affordable cost.”
The development of Le Méridien is also made possible by the contribution of the McGill University Student Association (1.5 million) and a loan from the FTQ Real Estate Solidarity Fund (8.2 million).
“Excellent News”
“We are proud to support and increase the supply of affordable rental housing space in the city center to meet the growing needs of the student population,” said Benoit Dorais, responsible for housing at the city.
At UTILE, Director General Laurent Levesque appreciated that “thanks to the continued support of the city and other levels of government, quick solutions can be found”, noting in passing that it was a “particularly difficult situation”.
“This is great news for access to affordable housing for students! » said Mayor Valérie Plante happily on the social network
This investment is part of Montreal’s initiatives to counteract the effects of the housing crisis in its area.