This year's moving day marked by high eviction numbers
CBC
Quebecers are used to moving on July 1 — when most leases end — but moving companies are seeing that change due to a high number of evictions and unit repossessions.
Pierre-Olivier Cyr, co-owner of one of Quebec's largest moving companies, Le Clan Panneton, says his business was only booked at half capacity Monday because most people have been moving in the few days before or after instead.
He says it's because landlords who evict their tenants have to pay for their moving expenses and want to avoid the higher fees on July 1. About 40 per cent of his clients this year were evicted, much more than last year, he said.
Cyr also says his company's storage facilities are filled beyond capacity while people wait to find a place to live as hundreds have been left without a lease.
"We received a lot of phone calls from people who want to move and reserved the date, but they don't know where they're going … People are not finding a place to live or storage so it's a really difficult psychological situation to manage for the tenants," he said.
"The authorities will have to do something because in a few years it will be catastrophic."
Frederick Walsh, a graphic design student at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), is one of the lucky Montrealers who had no problem finding a new place to live. He's leaving Ville-Marie to take over a room in his friend's apartment in Rosemont, farther away from campus. But he says he'd live alone if he could and is concerned about rising rents.
"I'm not willing to pay $800 for a room," he said.
"It sucks because the rents are getting higher and the people are not getting paid as much. I don't think that's fair and it worries me."
For hundreds of other Montrealers, it's been a headache to find a flat. The Office municipal d'habitation de Montréal (OMHM) said it received 811 requests for help finding housing since Jan. 1. It helped 244 tenants in their search and temporarily lodged 38 households while they wait for stable housing.
"Moving is a stressful time for many Montrealers, who are increasingly finding it difficult to find housing options that meet their needs and budget," said a spokesperson for the city of Montreal in a statement.
"We're ready to support anyone in need today and in the days ahead. If you need help, we invite you to call 311. We're here for you."
Meanwhile, the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ) is temporarily housing 125 households in hotels — 63 of which are in Montreal — and noted that another 259 households are temporarily living with loved ones in the province.
The SHQ says it's already processed over 9,000 housing assistance requests since Jan. and that 2,251 — from households with leases — are still active.
A church service in Stratford, P.E.I., brought together Christmas traditions from across the globe on Sunday.
On an extremely cold day, many people would prefer to stay home, cozy up under a blanket, and put on the TV, radio, or a favourite podcast.
In an era of Ring doorbells and No Soliciting signs, breaking the evening silence of a suburban London street can sometimes feel like a radical act.
For years, oil tanker traffic has been prohibited off the waters of northern British Columbia in order to protect environmentally sensitive coastlines from disaster.
Cape Breton organizations that give out clothing to people in need are having trouble keeping their closets full.
Gabriel Plourde’s introduction to the music world came when he was nine, and a character in a Legend of Zelda game played a type of flute called an ocarina.
A TTC streetcar has derailed following an early morning crash with a car at a busy downtown Toronto intersection, said police.
This First Person article is the experience of Itrat Anwar, a newcomer from Bangladesh who now calls Steinbach, Man., his home. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see this FAQ. You can read more First Person articles here.
James Benesh was so interested in researching an online hockey draft, he ended up with one of the largest-known collections of hockey books and eventually being called a hockey historian.
A recent market and fundraiser showcasing Palestinian-owned businesses in Hamilton, including new start-ups by people from Gaza who now call the city home, was met with “incredible” support, organizers say.
This time next year, Joellah Fletcher plans to be prepping or taking her final exams to become a certified Red Seal carpenter.
East of the small village of Coutts, Alta., a stone’s throw from the border with the United States, Cindy Bosch’s day-to-day life looks much like it did a year ago.
For years, police have been on the front lines of mental health crisis calls in Toronto, but the city's police chief believes it's now time to rethink that approach.