Residents of Montreal’s Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve watch a rally on Ontario Street East near Joliette Street Tuesday morning to denounce the evictions of Airbnb tourist accommodations in a neighborhood conquered by gentrification.
Several residents have received an eviction notice from a home that the new owner plans to convert to an Airbnb service after receiving approval from the municipality.
Activists, supported by the two neighborhood housing committees, Comité BAILS and Entraide Logement, are calling on the municipality not to issue tourist accommodation permits if it results in the eviction of tenants.
For them, a municipal permit issued to landlords makes it easier for the Administrative Housing Tribunal to evict tenants as the housing crisis continues to affect a growing number of Montreal renters.
“Those who lose their homes are generally unable to find new housing in the neighborhood or find themselves in major precarious housing conditions after evictions,” said Annie Lapalme, community organizer at Entraide Logement, in a news release.