Premier Legault stands firm against calls to intervene in the 5.9% rent hike, emphasizing the need for more housing supply instead.
Montreal: So, there’s been a big buzz about rent going up by 5.9%. The Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL) suggested this increase, but Premier François Legault isn’t planning to step in. The Quebec Liberal Party (PLQ) is pretty upset about it.
Legault believes the answer to the housing mess is to build more homes. He mentioned that they’re working on affordable housing and helping over 100,000 families with their rent. That’s a lot of folks getting support!
He gets that the hike will hit some people hard, but he thinks it’s not the government’s job to interfere since housing is in the private sector. The TAL is an independent body, after all.
The TAL’s estimate means if you’re paying $1,000 in rent now, you might be looking at $1,059 when your lease comes up for renewal. That’s a pretty steep jump compared to last year’s 4% increase and even lower rates in previous years.
Marc Tanguay, the interim Liberal leader, is not having it. He’s calling for the government to step in, just like they did with hydro rates. He’s saying this rent increase is unacceptable and needs to be looked at again.
Tanguay argues that the government can help Quebecers, especially since this increase will really affect many budgets starting July 1. He’s pushing for a review of this decision.
Interestingly, Tanguay’s stance is stronger than that of his housing critic, who thinks it’s too late to change anything now. The PLQ is also looking to change how the TAL calculates these increases.
