The day after Finance Minister Éric Girard tabled the 2024-2025 provincial budget, Patrick Bousez, prefect of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges MRC and mayor of Rivière-Beaudette, said he was disappointed, but not surprised.

"We would have expected more investment in housing, especially in the region when we know that we have a housing deficit of 2,000 units. We also expected more investment in public transit. Unfortunately, we also note that budget envelopes have not been increased, even though costs have risen. So we're going to achieve less with the same budget," he told Néomédia on Wednesday.

Public transit stakeholders, including Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain (ARTM) , also deplore the fact that the Quebec government's contribution to funding public transit was not disclosed in the budget.

"For us, the impasse remains as to how to share the $561.3 million shortfall in public transit funding for 2025. Faced with this situation, we may have to recommend some difficult choices," stated ARTM Director General Benoît Gendron in a press release.

In fact, the deficit has been the subject of much debate between the province's transport companies and Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault over the past year. The issue was also decried by Saint-Lazare mayor Geneviève Lachance last November.

Housing

As for the housing crisis, the budget includes, among other things, the extension of housing assistance of $100 per month for three years.This measure, which was due to end in September 2024, will now be extended until 2027 for some 66,000 low-income households.
For people spending 50% or more of their income on housing, an investment of $200.8 million over three years is planned. 

Currently in Vaudreuil-Soulanges, for a 3 1/2, a tenant can expect to pay $1,312 per month."That's the market price. Yes, there are landlords who rent for $650 a month. But right now, what's available on the market is $1,312," says Manon Charest. For a 4 1/2, monthly payments vary between $1,500 and $1,700, and for a 5 1/2, the average is $2,300. "These are the prices before the increase scheduled for July. And there aren't any 5 1/2, 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 units in the region," said Manon Charest, General Manager of the Office régional d'habitation de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, last February.

For low-income housing, Quebec plans to invest $219.4 million over four years in the operation and renovation of low-income housing.As for social housing, $97 million is earmarked for renovation over the next ten years. 

Finally, Québec also plans to invest 

- 37.9 M over three years to fund the Home Adaptation Program for people with disabilities;

- 7.8 million to help municipalities support homeless households in the run-up to July 1. 

To read also:

- "We're experiencing an unprecedented housing crisis" - Manon Charest

- Underfunding of social and affordable housing: the MRC demands concrete action