Citizens Committee Petitions for Right of 50/50 Control over Rent Regulations
The Citizens Committee of Saint Martins Block is creating a petition and event to demonstrate the need for 50/50 control over rent regulations
Kamloops, BC – November 6, 2020
The citizen’s committee of Saint Martins Block is hosting a petition and signing event. The event and petition will be used to obtain a 50/50 split between the citizens and the City of Montreal in the rent regulation discussion. The signing event will be held on December 3, 2021, from 2 pm to 7 pm, but for those who cannot attend a copy of the petition will be available at City Hall, on our Committee Blog page, and presented at meetings. The Committee aims to lay out the goals and objectives of the citizens in order to achieve a positive and beneficial expropriation. We want the citizens to have a say and feel encouraged to return home to Saint Martin’s Block.
The people of Saint Martin’s Block are scheduled to return once the housing development is completed. But with the discussion of $26 for every working child and constant inspections, there are rising concerns. “What we want in our homes is freedom,” says John Doe, a member of the Citizens Committee. Citizens in the neighbourhood do not feel seen by the City of Quebec and the Citizens Committee wants to ensure that all our voices are heard. “We have fought to be recognized as the former residents of Saint Martin. The right to a decent home is a basic right for everyone. In a real democracy, we believe that all citizens, especially those who have not been listened to until now could improve their lot by participating in decisions which affect their lives. This is what should happen here, where the Citizen’s Committee feels there should be joint management. The residents should have an equal voice in its administration. We hope that this will lead to urban renewal, that is not only physical but human,” says Jane Doe of the Citizens Committee.
In meetings with Mr. Robert Lussier, the Minister of Municipal Affairs for the Province of Quebec, and Mr. Lucien Saulnier, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the City of Montreal, the Committee and Officials discussed the accountability that the citizens should have. They should have a voice in choosing what they need from affordable housing in Saint Martin’s Block. Officials hold the final say over the matter, but the Citizen Committee will continue to petition for the objectives that citizens want, and the choices that we deserve in the democracy we live in.
The Citizen Committee is one group representing the people that live in Montreal where urban renewal is changing the landscape. There are 14,000 citizens in Saint Martin’s Block that are represented by the Citizens Committee. Founded by members of the community with the best interest and similar voices of the people in mind. The Committee has completed a march and protest to City Hall, where we held public meetings and voiced our concern for the expropriation of our community. We have assisted the National Film Board in the production of a film about our expropriation. The Committee will continue to recruit members and conduct studies and research into affordable housing to expand the ways we can work with the City of Montreal.
For more information, please contact Shaelee Stearns, Public Relations Specialist. PRcitizensofsaintmartin@gmail.com