As protests unfold across Montreal, neighbourhoods like Parc-Extension continue to grapple with affordability and displacement
A province-wide mobilization effort is underway as the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) launches a week-long campaign to draw attention to Quebec’s worsening housing crisis. The initiative, which includes approximately 15 actions, aims to pressure government officials to increase investment in social housing and take urgent steps to address homelessness and housing insecurity.
While no events have been explicitly announced in Parc-Extension, the neighbourhood remains deeply affected by many of the issues FRAPRU is targeting. Over the past decade, Parc-Extension has experienced steep increases in rental prices, mounting concerns about tenant displacement, and the rapid spread of gentrification tied to nearby real estate development, including the expansion of the Université de Montréal’s MIL campus.
According to data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the vacancy rate across Montreal remains under 2%, and the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment has climbed over $1,100 per month — unaffordable for many households in Parc-Extension, where the median income is significantly below the city average.
The mobilization week, which began May 27 and will run through early June, features protests, public assemblies, and symbolic occupations of vacant lots or buildings — intended to draw attention to the lack of government support for long-term, non-market housing solutions. These actions are taking place in neighbourhoods across Montreal and other cities in Quebec.
In a press release, FRAPRU reaffirmed its demand that the Quebec government commit to building 50,000 new social housing units over the next five years — a figure the group says is necessary to meet current demand. The organization has also called for greater protections for tenants facing eviction due to renovation-related displacement (“renovictions”), a practice frequently reported in high-pressure areas like Parc-Extension.
The housing challenges in Parc-Extension are well-documented. Local organizations and tenants’ rights advocates have reported rising incidents of lease non-renewals, substandard housing conditions, and unaffordable rent hikes. Many residents — particularly new immigrants and low-income families — struggle to find stable and dignified housing amid tightening market conditions.
Though not included in FRAPRU’s official list of actions this week, Parc-Extension’s realities mirror those in areas where protests are occurring. For many residents, the crisis is not new but increasingly urgent.
At the municipal level, the City of Montreal has made commitments to expanding affordable housing, but progress has been slow. Several construction projects funded under city and provincial programs remain stalled due to inflation, construction delays, and administrative hurdles.
FRAPRU’s actions are expected to culminate in the submission of a formal petition to the National Assembly of Quebec, calling on lawmakers to act decisively in the face of a growing crisis that touches every region of the province.
As the week unfolds, attention remains fixed not only on high-profile demonstrations, but on the underlying structural issues affecting neighbourhoods like Parc-Extension — where access to decent, affordable housing remains one of the most pressing social challenges of our time.
