Tenants who do not speak English or French coerced to sign eviction notices

The neighbourhood of Parc-Extension, also known as Parc-Ex, has been the victim of intense gentrification in the last few years. One of the main driving factors is the University of Montreal campus which opened beside the neighbourhood in 2019.

The campus does not provide student housing, leaving students to find apartments in Parc-Ex.

Nuhzat Niaz, an organizer for Comité d’action de Parc-Extension, a housing rights group based in the neighbourhood, said that as a result of the new UdeM campus, community members are being displaced. 

Niaz said landlords are prioritizing students beccause they often live in a unit between one semester to a few years. She says this means landlords then can raise the rents after a lease has ended, which is easier to do with students, compared to families who often live in a unit for appoximately ten years. 

Local 514 looked at average rent increases for unfurnished 1 bedroom apartments across different neighbourhoods fromNovember 2020  to November 2022.

Villeray-Parc-Extension had an increase of $140 within two years. This may not seem like much in comparison to increases ranging from $300-$400 in other areas, but for a neighbourhood noted as the most low-income neighbourhood in Montreal, every dollar makes a difference to community members. 

In Verdun, 20% of the population lives on a low income.

The neighbourhood of Parc-Extension is also home to many newcomers to Canada. But language barriers have given landlords the ability to take advantage of tenants.

Niaz said landlords in Parc-Ec have been known to take advantage of the language difference – they show up to their tenants' apartments and make them sign documents. The tenant can't understand what's going on, said Niaz, but they feel pressured to sign it and they realize the consequences afterward.

Niaz said CAPE helps assist tenants in Parc-Ex who have experienced this.

Residential tenants aren’t only being pushed out. Rising rents can create a domino effect, leading to not only residents being pushed out, but independently-owned stores that sell lower prices items being unable to stay in a neighbourhood with rapidly increasing rents. 

This can make room for corporate-owned chains, such as Provigo or Metro, replacing locally-owned stores. As a result, prices can be much higher, which makes grocery prices more inaccessible for communities already grappling with rising rents.

Niaz said in Parc-Ex, many small businesses were forcefully evicted in Plaza Hutchison. She said that small businesses, religious and community group spaces were evicted because the new owner wanted to develop condos on the land. 

She said that following a mobilization in the neighbourhood, Plaza Hutchison was bought by the City of Montreal in 2020.

Niaz said CAPE helps assist tenants in Parc-Ex who have experienced this.

Residential tenants aren’t only being pushed out. Rising rents can create a domino effect, leading to not only residents being pushed out, but independently-owned stores that sell lower prices items being unable to stay in a neighbourhood with rapidly increasing rents. 

This can make room for corporate-owned chains, such as Provigo or Metro, replacing locally-owned stores. As a result, prices can be much higher, which makes grocery prices more inaccessible for communities already grappling with rising rents.

Niaz said in Parc-Ex, many small businesses were forcefully evicted in Plaza Hutchison. She said that small businesses, religious and community groups were evicted because the new owner wanted to develop condos on the land. 

She said that following a mobilization in the neighbourhood, Plaza Hutchison was bought by the City of Montreal in 2020.