Quebec, Ottawa announce funding for 1,650 new affordable housing units in Montreal

Rachel Bendayan, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, and Caroline Desrochers, left, the Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, were in Montreal on Saturday, July 18, 2026, to announce funding for affordable housing units. (CTV News)

Quebec’s Minister Responsible for Housing, Karine Boivin Roy, announced Saturday that construction of 1,650 new affordable housing units could begin over the next year in Montreal.

These units are part of eight projects selected under the Quebec Affordable Housing Program. They are currently under review by Maisons Canada, the federal agency, for funding.

Among them is a project on the site of the former Molson factory, which aims to create 374 housing units, as well as a project in the Namur-Hippodrome neighbourhood to build 477 housing units.

Minister Boivin Roy made the announcement at the Palais des congrès, alongside representatives from the City of Montreal and the federal government.

Caroline Desrochers, Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, revealed at the same press conference that three housing projects are being funded under the first phase of the agreement between Maisons Canada and the Société d’habitation du Québec, an agreement announced last April. These three projects will result in the construction of 109 units.

Of these three projects, two can begin construction immediately, Boivin Roy said. One is the Réseau habitation femmes Montréal, which will continue the Éthel project in Verdun to create 20 housing units for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Construction on the John Howard Society of Quebec’s project on Notre-Dame Street East can also begin. It aims to create 18 affordable housing units.

Finally, the third project approved by the federal government, the Ricochet project, aims to provide emergency shelter in Pierrefonds.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 18, 2026.