Imagine children, each in their own sandbox. One has a shovel, another has a bucket and the third has a watering can. But everyone stays in their corner, jealous of their precious tools, unable to admit that they can’t build a castle alone.
Updated at 5:00 yesterday.
This image clearly illustrates the inaction that is preventing us from solving the housing crisis that is hitting the poor, but also the middle class, very hard across Quebec.
And wait, this is just the beginning.
If we fail to act, Quebec will be short 860,000 housing units in seven years, according to recent calculations by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
These are a lot of people who don’t have a roof over their heads. In fact, people going beyond their budget for accommodation.
In order for the market to become affordable again, 123,000 additional residential units would have to be built annually by 2030. The challenge is immense, because construction starts have averaged around 50,000 per year for 10 years.
But it is easier for politicians to assign blame than to find solutions.
As Justin Trudeau shoots arrows at municipalities that drown projects in bureaucracy, cities are criticizing Quebec for not doing enough to address the housing shortage.
Even if this criticism is certainly justified, it would be better to focus on collaboration.
In fact, a promising community solution for the development of the Blue Bonnets site is currently being implemented. A solution that could come to fruition and allow, for example, to unlock the potential of East Montreal, which contains a lot of contaminated land that is costly to develop.
The saga of the old Blue Bonnets racetrack is the ultimate symbol of our elected officials’ inaction in the face of the housing crisis. It’s incredible to leave a piece of land in the heart of Montreal, a stone’s throw from the subway, that could accommodate more than 6,000 houses, abandoned for almost 15 years!
Fortunately, at the end of May, the three levels of government agreed to create the Acceleration Group for the Optimization of the Hippodrome Project (GALOPH), which also brings together the private, community and even philanthropic sectors, with the participation of Centraide.
This collaboration is a good sign. But we still have to bring together all the necessary tools to make a major project possible.
To avoid working in silos, we must first create an independent NPO that will have a free hand in managing the project, as happened 20 years ago with the development of Montreal’s international district under the direction of architect Clément Demers. now involved in GALOPH.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, SPECIAL COLLABORATION ARCHIVE
The architect Clément Dermers
This body must have enough power to avoid getting bogged down in bureaucracy. Although the city has set up support units in four districts to remove obstacles, the number of building permits issued there is in free fall.
Then we must avoid the mistakes of Griffintown, “which was handed over to developers before a master plan was adopted,” recalls Gérard Beaudet in his recent book, An Urban Quebec in Change. In order to create a real living environment, you need a development plan that provides for local amenities, green spaces, public transport, schools, daycare centers, etc.
And this plan must prioritize social and affordable housing. But for this to happen, private entrepreneurs who have avoided the 20-20-20 program will have to come on board. This flagship pledge from Mayor Valérie Plante required 20% social housing, 20% affordable housing and 20% family housing in its projects. The idea was laudable, but the program was developed in isolation without taking into account the reality of the organizers. Don’t wonder why it’s a failure.
However, the biggest challenge for Blue Bonnets remains the development of infrastructure – water, sewage, electricity, etc. – The bill could reach $800 million, excluding the cost of roadworks to develop the site, particularly the necessary connection to the Cavendish Boulevard.
The city that owns the property must admit that it does not have the means to pay this bill, which will inevitably have to be shared. Edinburgh, Dublin, Chicago, Washington, São Paulo… All over the world we have seen financial partnerships between multiple levels of government to revitalize industrial areas.
It is possible here too. We can support Quebec and Ottawa through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, which last year provided $175 million to develop energy efficient systems in a neighborhood in Richmond, British Columbia.
What is important is that it is unlocked. We cannot wait another 15 years until we have a water distribution system in Blue Bonnets.
Overcoming the housing crisis will not be child’s play. But to get there, everyone has to leave their ego at the door. Let’s take a comprehensive look. Let’s think big. In the end everyone can be proud of the result.
The position of La Presse
Does the real estate crisis hurt? You haven’t seen anything yet! Elected officials must stop operating in silos to find solutions. Solutions like those being implemented to build 6,000 residential units on the Blue Bonnets site. And who could have babies elsewhere?