Soraya Martinez Ferrada Unveils Action Plan to Tackle Montreal’s Housing Crisis

Montreal, August 19, 2025 – Ensemble Montréal leader and mayoral candidate Soraya Martinez Ferrada has pledged that, if elected, she will do more to address the housing crisis shaking the city.

Speaking Tuesday morning in front of one of the nearly 80 vacant buildings owned by the City of Montreal, Martinez Ferrada denounced the current state of affairs. This comes as some 215 Montreal families are still waiting for housing since July 1, while the City continues to purchase numerous buildings and lots only to leave them abandoned.

Martinez Ferrada also criticized the inaction of the Plante–Rabouin administration over the past two mandates, during which the crisis has grown to unprecedented levels.

Commitments in the First 100 Days

A Martinez Ferrada administration would implement a series of measures within its first 100 days to address the crisis:

• Consolidate a single registry of all vacant buildings;
  
• Launch a broad call for projects to give these buildings a new purpose through partnerships with non-profit organizations and private-sector stakeholders willing to contribute to solving the housing crisis;
  
• Approve all housing projects that have already been submitted but remain stalled.
  

Additional Measures Already Announced

These commitments build on previous promises to tackle the housing crisis, such as:

• Accelerating the development of City-owned lands and buildings for non-market housing;
  
• Supporting initiatives that help households remain in their homes, such as a rental assistance fund;
  
• Creating a housing bank to support at least 100 households left without housing after July 1;
  
• Establishing a “one-stop shop” for non-market housing through a specialized team offering personalized guidance and streamlined administrative processes;
  
• Exempting non-market housing projects from municipal fees, including permit and occupancy fees;
  
• Using 70-year emphyteutic leases on City-owned land to lower construction costs for non-market housing.
  

Quotes

“I know these problems won’t disappear with the wave of a magic wand. But what I will ensure is that I sit down with all stakeholders so that, together, we can find solutions. Collaboration is essential,” said Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Ensemble Montréal leader and mayoral candidate.

“The City owns numerous buildings with enormous potential. Now we need to make sure that potential is unlocked. Doing so will help ease the housing crisis,” said Sylvain Gariépy, urban planner and Ensemble Montréal candidate for borough mayor of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension.