GASPÉ – The issue of housing jurisdiction for the MRCs should have been resolved, but new obstacles are emerging, according to the president of the Table of prefects de la Gaspésie.
Almost 18 months ago, the Gaspésie MRCs faced opposition from the Quebec Ministry of Housing, which would not allow them to provide funding or assistance for projects to promote the construction of apartments, one of the regional priorities.
At the time, Gaspé Member of the National Assembly, Stéphane Sainte-Croix, expressed a desire to find a solution to address the issue.
“The MRCs want to support the construction of private rental housing. After some political work, the Municipal Affairs Ministry came up with a proposal. After analysis, this proposal, which is a roundabout way rather than going directly to the field of competence, does not meet the objectives because it is too restrictive,” explains the Table’s president, Mathieu Lapointe.
During discussions in the past year, rather than introducing a bill to grant this competence, it was agreed to go through administrative channels.
As a result, under the existing rules, it would not be permitted to build outside urban perimeters or in areas not served by water and sewer systems.
“A large part of our territory is not served by these services. So, we are back to square one, and we ask that the MRCs be given jurisdiction to intervene,” Mr. Lapointe reiterates.
Again questioned on this issue, the MNA for Gaspé and assistant to the regional minister understands the concerns raised regarding the current rules.
“It’s important to remember that MRCs can delegate this responsibility to municipalities. When you look at the Haute-Gaspésie and the Côte-de-Gaspé, there are some major projects underway. I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s possible under the current conditions but, obviously, something isn’t working for the representative of the prefects,” says Mr. Sainte-Croix.
The MNA suggests that the table des préfets president call on the Union of Quebec Municipalities and the Quebec Federation of municipalities to bring the issue to the attention of the Quebec government.
“We understand that, if this is the case, it has an impact on all Quebec municipalities, and I imagine that the Quebec government would listen carefully,” suggests Mr. Sainte-Croix, who understands some of the constraints mentioned by the president of the Table des préfets.
“We don’t disagree with Mr. Lapointe’s position, but there are objectives in terms of land use planning objectives, and Mr. Lapointe would do well to raise the matter with his counterparts,” adds Mr. Sainte-Croix.
The incentives totalling $2 million are working.
Each MRC has $400,000 to stimulate the construction of 40 apartments per territory at a rate of $10,000 per door.
“The entire envelope is reserved for the Haute-Gaspésie and Côte-de-Gaspé. There is still a little room in Avignon, Bonaventure and Rocher-Percé,” mentions Mathieu Lapointe, who expects the entire amount to be used by the end of the program in December 2024.
Despite very significant needs, the Table of prefects has not yet decided on phase 2 of this successful program.
“With the Regional-Rurality Fund, we still have some money left over from Phase 1, but it’s too little to provide the kind of support we have. We are working on other plans hence the idea of the MRC competence which has funds that could be used. We are working in other ways at the moment, and we will also look at the new fiscal pact,” mentions the resident.