A new tenants' committee in Montreal's West Island is on a mission to teach renters about their rights -- a service organizers say has long been neglected in the area.
The Comité d'action des locataires de l'Ouest-de-l'Île (CALODI) is the first group of its kind to operate exclusively in the West Island, according to coordinator Lily Martin.
She says that, despite the region's suburban reputation, there are many renters there in need of guidance.
"It really is a misconception that everybody in the West Island is a homeowner," Martin told CTV News in an interview Wednesday. "Overall, 20 per cent of housing units in the West Island are rental housing, and in some municipalities, the number can go up to 40 per cent."
In fact, 2021 data from the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) shows that the proportion of low-income tenants who spend 30 per cent or more of their paycheque on rent is higher in many West Island municipalities than in the City of Montreal.
The CMM reports that 27.5 per cent of low-income renters in Montreal fall into this category. That figure is 33.1 per cent in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, 43.2 per cent in Pointe-Claire, 32.1 per cent in Beaconsfield and 33.9 in Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue.
"There's a very chronic lack of repairs, a lot of neglect. A lot of tenants experiencing harassment and intimidation from their landlords," Martin added. "And then, of course, like everywhere in Montreal and throughout Quebec, there's been a very steady rise in rental prices. That is really compromising the affordability of housing for tenants in the West Island."
Since its official launch in March, the committee has set up a tenant hotline and held various educational events. This week, CALODI members went door to door at different rental properties in the West Island to promote its upcoming workshops on rental increases.
The next round of CALODI's free workshops, offered in both French and English, take place in Pierrefonds and Pointe-Claire in January. Click here to learn more.
