61% of Montreal's low-income housing in 'poor or very poor condition': report

Montrealers are facing major challenges when it comes to accessing low-income housing, including significant delays before moving in and homes that are in bad shape, according to a report from the city's auditor general.

The report, which was made public on Tuesday, tackles issues related to low-income housing, the management of Montreal's public consultation office and the Société du Parc Jean-Drapeau's projects.

At the end of 2022, more than 23,000 applicants — many of whom have children — were waiting for low-income housing, according to Auditor General Andrée Cossette.

Her report pointed out that the time it took for those people to find a home was about six years, a delay "clearly exceeding the targets" of the Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal (OMHM). The office had more than 2,408 vacant housing units as of March 2023.

Cossette wrote that requests for low-income housing were not properly managed, which had a snowball effect on the way the office allocates homes to people. In some cases, she said, it looked like the priority list was not respected. 

The report also highlighted the ''deterioration'' of those units. 

As of last November, 61 per cent of them were in "poor or very poor condition," Cossette wrote.

Over a two-year period, fewer than 5,000 inspections were carried out — a third of the OMHM's target. 

The auditor general wants the housing agency to do a better job of inspecting homes, to make sure they abide by the norms of the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ).

Montreal's public consultation office under scrutiny

The auditor general's report also put Montreal's public consultation office under its microscope. 

The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) fell under scrutiny when records of significant expenses made by Dominique Ollivier, who was president of the organization from 2014 to 2021, and other staff were made public. She subsequently resigned as president of Montreal's executive committee last November.

"In addition to the operational independence linked to its mission, the OCPM has granted itself administrative independence from the city, which was never questioned by the latter," remarked Cossette's report.

Cossette said the OCPM lacks a system of governance and urges it to adopt one.

The report also said the OCPM didn't have "appropriate rules to ensure optimal use of the financial resources granted to it by the city."

In a Facebook post, Ollivier said Cossette did not ask her to contribute to the report although she offered to participate. 

"A fundamental principle of natural justice is that when you accuse someone of something, you allow them to present their side of the story.… She chose not to hear me before concluding? Why?" wrote Ollivier.

The report also raised questions about the Société du Parc Jean-Drapeau (SPJD) and its ability to carry out 95 projects by 2030 that in 2021 were estimated to cost about $970 million. That number has since ballooned to $1.1 billion.

Cossette said there wasn't enough oversight of those projects. She also said there needed to be a clear plan to make sure it was easy to keep track of how the projects are progressing and how public money is being spent. 

'Worrisome' findings, says Opposition

In a statement, the city of Montreal said the housing agency has already started implementing some of the recommendations made by the auditor general. 

It said updating the list of applicants waiting for housing will "significantly reduce delays in housing allocation" and "provide a true picture of social housing needs."

This progress, according to the city, is measured by a decrease in the number of applicants between 2022 and March 2024 — from 23,784 to 16,174. 

The city also said there are fewer vacant housing units — 1,350 as of last month.

When it comes to the OCPM, Montreal said its finance department is helping the office adopt best practices, and that a management framework specific to the office will be adopted by fall.

But Aref Salem, the interim leader of Opposition party Ensemble Montréal, said the report's findings are "worrisome" and not "surprising," before criticizing Mayor Valérie Plante's party.

"For Projet Montréal, nothing is ever its fault," Salem said, while emphasizing that Plante is responsible for what happens within organizations like the OCPM, OMHM and the SPJD.

"I am convinced that many of the conclusions [in the report] could have been avoided if the Plante administration upheld its responsibilities."