Governments of Canada and Quebec Invest in Affordable Housing in Mercier

MERCIER, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - May 25, 2012) - The Honourable Claude Carignan, Senator, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Pierre Moreau, Minister of Transport and Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Châteauguay, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and Minister Responsible for the Société d'Habitation du Québec (SHQ), today celebrated the official opening of the Manoir du Bel Âge de Ville de Mercier. This 41-unit affordable housing project for semi-independent seniors required a total investment of more than $5 million, of which over $2.5 million was provided by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

In addition to the Government of Canada, through Canada's Economic Action Plan, and the Government of Quebec, under the AccèsLogis Québec program of the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ), community partners contributed more than $877,000 to the project, including over $786,000 from the City of Mercier. It should also be noted that the SHQ has secured the mortgage loan taken out by the organization to complete the financing of the project.

"Through Economic Action Plan 2012, our government is taking action to help ensure our economic recovery and create the conditions for long-term growth. Funding projects like the Manoir du Bel Âge de Ville de Mercier will not only improve the housing conditions for seniors in Mercier but also help stimulate the local economy and create jobs," said Senator Carignan.

"By investing considerable sums in the creation of new affordable housing for the past several years, here in the Montérégie region and across Quebec, our government is enabling many seniors to stay in the environment to which they are attached. The success of projects like the one we are opening today proves that we have made the right choice, and so, I want to congratulate everyone who worked on this project, together with the SHQ," said Minister Pierre Moreau, in the presence of Jacques Lambert, Mayor of Mercier and Chair of the Board of Directors of the Office municipal d'habitation de Mercier, and community partners.

It should be specified that all the tenants of the Manoir du Bel Âge can benefit from the Rent Supplement program, which provides financial assistance to low-income individuals who would otherwise have to spend more than 25 per cent of their income on housing. The rent supplements provided will represent, over a five-year period, more than $664,000 in additional financial assistance, including some $598,000 from the SHQ and over $66,000 from the City of Mercier.

It should be noted that this project, like all projects developed under the AccèsLogis Québec program, was designed so as to obtain the Novoclimat certification. To help it meet this requirement, which well demonstrates the importance attached to improving energy efficiency by the Government of Quebec and the SHQ, the project received a grant of more than $81,000 from the Bureau de l'efficacité et de l'innovation énergétiques of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune.

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest more than $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of almost 605,000 households living in social housing. In Quebec, this represents some 129,550 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.

To find out more about how CMHC is working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.

In the 2012/2013 budget, the Government of Quebec announced that it intends to build an additional 3,000 housing units, bringing to 35,000 units its objective of producing new affordable housing in Quebec. This represents an additional contribution of $180 million under the AccèsLogis Québec program and the private component of the Affordable Housing Québec program, and brings to nearly $1.5 billion the total assistance provided since 2003.

Since 2003, 2,904 community and affordable housing units have been, or are being, developed in the Montérégie region, including 374 in the riding of Châteauguay, representing total investments of over $305 million by the governments and their partners.

The SHQ's mission is to facilitate citizens' access to appropriate housing conditions. Each year, through its various programs, the SHQ supports more than 240,000 households across Quebec. For more information on this agency's programs and services, visit www.habitation.gouv.qc.ca/english.html.