Some landlords are running for office during Montreal's housing crunch. Advocates say that's a problem
CBC
When Lyn Leigh O'Donnell first saw the ad for a three-bedroom, $2,100 apartment in Verdun, she was livid.
O'Donnell, who founded Verdun, Ensemble Contre la Gentrification in response to the borough's housing crisis, says she's steadily seen high rents and speculators push longtime Verdun residents out of the borough.
In 2019, the average rent for an apartment of that size was $1,010, according to a CMHC report.
The $2,100-listing, which boasted a "fully renovated" apartment with a private rooftop terrasse with a view of downtown, was made by a man named Antoine Richard.
At the time, O'Donnell said she had "no idea" who he was.
It was only later that she learned Richard was running with Ensemble Montréal to be borough mayor of Verdun.
"It's really offensive," O'Donnell said. "It's the only word that I can come up with to describe my gut feeling about it."