Matthew Daldalian, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
matt.newsfirst@gmail.com

Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer unveiled a $21 million initiative on May 24 aimed at accelerating the city’s supply of social and affordable housing.

“We want solutions for housing to be affordable,” said Boyer. “Housing is often the biggest expense families face, and it’s directly tied to quality of life.”

The announcement outlined four measures that will be folded into Laval’s next housing action plan, set to launch later this year. These include a tax credit for developers, a new legal tool to fast-track construction, and funds for both land acquisition and early-stage project support. 10-year tax credit program A centrepiece of the announcement is a new property tax credit for private developers who include affordable units in their residential projects.

Eligible developments can receive a credit over ten years, with incentives increasing if the units are family-sized. From the mayor’s perspective, the goal is to bridge the gap between policy ambition and market reality. “We can demand affordable and social housing, but if it doesn’t make financial sense in a developer’s business plan, the project simply won’t happen,” he said.

“It’s that simple.” Developers will be required to verify tenant incomes to ensure units remain accessible to those in need. According to Laval’s urban planning department director Hugo Rousseau, the city has set a goal of reaching 10% non-market housing by 2028. “We’re supporting developers— they’re the ones building most of the new housing,” Rousseau said.

The credit complements federal programs such as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) MLI Select and is expected to spur construction in high-demand areas, especially Laval’s rapidly growing downtown area. Zoning flexibility through new “superpower” The second measure involves the use of a regulatory tool dubbed the “superpower”.

The mechanism enables cities to approve housing projects that slightly deviate from current zoning rules—provided they include public benefits like parks, community centres, or a strong share of affordable units. “We don’t want concrete boxes— on the contrary, we want to maintain the same standards of aesthetics and sustainability,” said Boyer. “But if a developer includes affordable housing or donates land for a school, and the project brings real public benefits, then we’ll accelerate it.”

The City Council adopted the framework for using this tool on May 20. Rousseau said it will be applied under conditions to help move along large-scale projects already in development. According to him, in Laval’s downtown alone, the city is in active discussions regarding more than 28,000 new housing units. Preserve existing rental stock In addition to stimulating new builds, the city will invest $3.75 million in 2025 to acquire existing rental properties and remove them from the speculative market.

Once purchased, the buildings will be transferred to non-profit organizations for long-term management. “Buildings built 10 or 20 years ago were built at lower construction costs, and therefore today can afford to have much lower rents than new constructions,” Boyer said. “Whereas a non-profit organization, on the other hand, its rent increase will certainly reflect immediate maintenance costs.”

Rousseau noted that the strategy is modeled after similar efforts in Montreal and abroad, where municipal property acquisition has proven effective at stabilizing rent levels. For Tommy Théberge, general director of the Association des Groupes de Ressources Techniques du Québec (AGRTQ), this approach addresses a pressing need, calling it a “meaningful step” in tackling the housing crisis.

Startup fund The fourth measure introduced is a $300,000 per year startup fund, which will help up to six community organizations annually with planning costs. These are essential for applying to provincial and federal housing programs. “It’s a first step—and knowing how dynamic the mayor is, I think this initiative will keep gaining momentum,” said Théberge. “In the future, it’s likely to be renewed—and probably expanded.”

Boyer emphasized that cities don’t build social housing on their own. “We may have bold goals—but we’re not the ones building the city. It’s the partners—sometimes from the University of Ottawa, but also from the private market.” Between 2020 and 2024, Laval delivered or initiated over 1,070 new social and affordable housing units. More are expected as the city moves ahead with its 2025–2028 action plan. “Obviously, we’re doing all of this to create beautiful living environments—we’re doing it for our families,” Boyer said.