A Solution to Québec’s Housing Crisis

Québec will not solve its housing crisis without making a genuine shift in favour of residential construction and development more broadly. The challenge is much like the one facing the rest of Canada: demand is outpacing supply, while projects remain too slow, too complex, and too costly to complete. Despite the urgency, Québec’s current approval system still makes it exceptionally difficult to advance new developments.

Approval delays are often excessive, processes lack predictability, and developers must contend with an avalanche of conditions, restrictions, and requirements imposed by municipalities as part of the permitting process. These hurdles discourage investment, reduce the number of viable projects, and inevitably drive up the price of available housing.

Resistance at the municipal level has also become a significant obstacle. Between urban development plans, restrictive zoning, repeated consultations, environmental requirements, and mandatory thresholds for social housing, residential construction has become nearly impossible in several parts of Québec. Environmental protection remains essential, and public consultation has a legitimate role, but neither should automatically become a pretext for not-in-my-backyard opposition. It is high time for the Québec government to take a more active role, establish clearer rules, and impose reasonable timelines.

Some recent measures are moving the needle in the right direction, but they are not enough. Construction must become profitable again. When a project is delayed for years, costs continue to rise, and requirements change along the way, many projects are abandoned or simply never get off the ground. The province cannot demand more housing while maintaining a system that makes building it too slow, too risky, and too expensive.

The debate over housing affordability cannot be limited to rental and subsidized housing. These options are necessary, but they do not meet every need. Québec must also build condominiums, townhouses, single-family homes, seniors’ housing, and affordable urban and suburban units for the middle class. A one-size-fits-all approach will not solve a crisis that affects households at different stages of life and at different income levels.

The best way to address the crisis is to encourage the construction of all types of housing. A couple purchasing a single-family home will often free up an apartment. A multigenerational family moving into a larger home will free up a smaller house for another household. In this way, every move helps improve mobility throughout the housing market.

An aging population also requires Québec to rethink its housing supply. Housing designed for seniors is needed, but so are homes for families, particularly if communities want to remain vibrant and attract new residents. Everyone must be able to find a place that meets their needs. To make that possible, Québec must finally choose to build more homes, approve them faster, and make room for a wider range of options.