Ensemble Montréal wants to reform the Residential Acquisition Support Program
The city councilor for the district of Tétreaultville Julien Hénault-Ratelle and the leader of the Official Opposition in Montreal City Hall, Aref Salem.
At a press conference on Tuesday morning, Ensemble Montréal asked the Plante administration to review its Residential Acquisition Support Program (PAAR) to ensure that grants are distributed to Montrealers from the middle class.
“Stricter criteria and more rigorous checks are needed,” reads a press release from the Opposition party.
Introduced in 2018, the PAAR aims to help new buyers and families to become owners in Montreal, by establishing, depending on the situation, financial assistance to buy a condo, a house or an apartment building. All types of households are eligible for the acquisition of a first new property.
According to Projet Montréal, the program has already helped thousands of families acquire a property in Montreal.
But for Ensemble Montréal, the absence of maximum income criteria to benefit from the program would ensure that the wealthiest households can benefit from it.
“The City of Montreal gives subsidies to everyone, even to buyers who have strong backs and for whom the housing affordability crisis is not a problem,” said the leader of the Official Opposition, Aref Salem.
According to the opposition party, the PAAR must be reformed and “address economic disparities”, by opting for a degressive approach that would allow households with lower incomes to benefit from an amount of aid superior.
“There is a gray area for experienced and wealthy buyers who come from other provinces or countries,” said Julien Hénault-Ratelle, city councilor in the district of Tétreaultville. According to the party, the program should be accessible only to Montreal citizens, permanent residents and people authorized to work in Canada.
The Opposition party will thus table a motion at the next city council of the City of Montreal, asking the Plante Administration to reform part of the PAAR.
