By Madeline Kerr
La Pêche is taking a step toward more affordable housing.
Thirty-six new affordable rental units will be coming to Masham thanks to an agreement between the municipality and the regional non-profit Habitations de l’Outouais Métropolitain (HOM).
At a council meeting on Sept. 29, council unanimously passed a resolution to formally partner with the Gatineau-based organization HOM to bring two, 18-unit apartments to a lot situated near the sports complex on Chemin Raphaël in Masham. These units will consist of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments that will be available for rent based on provincial standards for affordability.
According to the resolution, the municipality has agreed to transfer the nearly three acres of land located at 40 Ch. Raphaël, which has an estimated value of $180,000, for the price of $1. The municipality also agreed to waive other municipal costs, such as the so-called “welcome tax,” the cost of building permits, as well as 12 years worth of municipal taxes. It is not waiving tariffs for services like waste collection, however. For its part, HOM has agreed to rent the units exclusively to eligible households – with priority given to residents of La Pêche – and in accordance with the terms and conditions set out in the Quebec Affordable Housing Program (QAHP).
HOM is partnered with the organization Office d’habitation de l’Outaouais (OHO), an organization that manages and administers housing and housing programs in the region.
According to Antoine Bélanger-Rannou, real estate development manager at OHO, the project must comply with QAHP regulations in three ways:
“First, the units must meet [the] minimum criteria for size and quality, be adapted to the market and comply with legal and regulatory requirements,” he said.
Second, leases on each apartment must provide for a maximum monthly rent based on a scale established by the Société d’habitation du Québec, a government agency responsible for housing in the province.
“This scale, which is updated twice a year, is the recognized tool for regulating affordability based on household income and market conditions,” he said.
Third, HOM must comply with “all applicable legislative, regulatory and municipal requirements,” he said.
“In short, the municipality does not grant its support unconditionally,” he continued. Rather, the agreement ensures that “the housing built here in La Pêche will remain truly affordable – not only when it is first marketed but throughout the 35 years of the agreement.”
HOM is responsible for other affordable housing units in the municipality, including Sully Gardens in Wakefield and another 12-unit building also located on Chemin Raphaël in Masham.
There is no official timeline in place for the units to be built and operational.
“[HOM] is still awaiting the results of geotechnical and environmental studies, which are necessary to finalize the project plans,” Bélanger-Rannou explained. “These plans will then have to be reviewed by the municipality. [HOM] must also obtain confirmation of the grants that will finance the project.”
Once completed, he explained that HOM will be able to come up with a provisional timeline for the project.
According to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, housing is considered “affordable” if it costs less than 30 per cent of a household’s before-tax income.
A report published in 2021 by La Table de développement social des Collines-de-l’Outaouais (TDSCO) revealed that around 15 per cent of households in the MRC des Collines spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing. TDSCO is a non-profit organization that brings together individuals and organizations working together to address social issues in the region.
In June of 2023 the MRC presented a new affordable-housing strategy, with 32 measures aimed at helping municipalities in the region build more houses faster, entice developers to include affordable options and allow density exceptions when building “social or affordable housing.”
La Pêche Mayor Guillaume Lamoureux told the Low Down, “From the housing study conducted in recent years in our MRC, we know that one of our biggest challenges is the lack of affordable rental properties.”
He added that building these rental units will allow the municipality to offer “affordable alternatives for autonomous seniors who want to downsize, for single parents, for young people who are moving out in their first apartment [and] for people with lower income who are unable to afford a home in La Pêche.”