Housing advocates demand city take action against slumlords

Roaches roam widely at Domaine Renaissance (Photo: RCLALQ)

Housing activists are sounding the alarm about thousands of Montrealers living in horrible conditions.

On Thursday RCLALQ -- Regroupement des comités logement et associations de locataires du Quebec (Coalition of tenants and lodgers of Quebec) offered a tour of some of the worst slums in the city.

Some of the buildings have already been condemned and boarded up. Others were notable because health inspectors had said conditions were not fit for humans.

"A lot of these apartments have been evacuated," said Stephanie Paradis of the tenants group OEIL Cote des Neiges. "The public health department said they were not proper to live in and they've been rented again, under the nose of the city and they don't do anything. This is unacceptable."

RCLALQ said the city of Montreal does have an action plan for substandard housing that looks good on paper, but is seemingly reluctant to enforce it.

It points out that since Since 2007 the city has issued $735,000 in fines, 95 percent of which went to four landlords. The group said the city has flagged only five buildings since 2012 as being decrepit and seems to have a preference to hand out non-conformity notices instead of fining landlords.

The group said there are a number of slums in Montreal and identifed several:

In each case RCLALQ pointed out a list of flaws with the residences, ranging from vermin infestations, mould, and leaks to defective plumbing and heating,

In some cases tenants have been ordered to evacuate their homes in the middle of winter because housing inspectors said nobody could live there safely.

RCLALQ is asking the city to enforce its action plan with more financial punishments for slumlords.

It also wants the city to improve training for housing inspectors.

The city of Montreal is expected to respond to the critiques of tenants and advocates next week