Overcoming Institutional Obstacles to Non-Market Housing Production in Montréal
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This project documented and analyzed the institutional, financial, and political barriers affecting non-market housing production in the Montreal Metropolitan Area (MMA), identifying key constraints and examining how policy frameworks can either hinder or support housing delivery.
Jump to Research OutputsHow do regulatory and institutional frameworks shape the feasibility of non-market housing production?
Public policies and regulations can create a hostile framework for non-market housing projects, threatening their viability. To help non-market housing providers overcome those barriers, this project documented financial, political, and institutional barriers non-market housing developers face in the Montreal Metropolitan Area (MMA). Through a detailed study, the project uncovered common issues and provided guidance designed to offer a competitive advantage to this market segment in the culminating report.
Project Lead(s):
Home Organization:
Vivre en Ville
Other Participants:
Community Partner:
Vivre en Ville
Funding Stream:
Community-Focused Project
Project Status:
Completed
Background
Quebec was a national outlier in social and community housing production, largely through AccèsLogis, launched in 1997, which built tens of thousands of units after other provinces cut back following 1990s federal funding withdrawals. Despite this record, the program declined even before pandemic inflation and was terminated in 2023, offering a research opportunity to understand its decline using insights from the experienced housing sector it built.
Methodology
This project adopted a multi-phase, collaborative research design. First, the project organized workshops with non-profit partners to identify the political, fiscal, and institutional barriers they face. Second, the project discussed barriers and potential solutions with non-market housing actors in the MMA. Third, the project aims to developed a set of contextualised recommendations for overcoming barriers to non-market housing production focusing on the MMA in a cumulative report.
Results
The project has resulted in an array of outputs such as blog posts, journal articles, a policy report, podcast episodes, research webinars, and a film screening.
Research Outputs
Existing reports, presentation materials, podcasts, webinar recordings, and research summaries.
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Le Dernier Flip: Reimagining Housing Through Community Ownership
Blog Post
Learn moreLe Dernier Flip examines how housing financialization has made homeownership inaccessible for most young Canadians. Learn about Community Land Trusts, Social Utility Trusts, and other models that prioritize affordability and community ownership over profit in our reflection from our screening and panel discussion in Montreal.
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Outils pour surmonter les obstacles institutionnels à la production de logements à but non lucratif
Rapport
Learn moreCette étude, réalisée par le partenaire communautaire de BSH, Vivre en Ville, examine les obstacles systémiques qui freinent la construction de logements à but non lucratif à Montréal depuis la fin du programme AccèsLogis du Québec, en identifiant les freins financiers, politiques et institutionnels qui limitent le développement de logements subventionnés dans le contexte actuel…
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Tools for Overcoming Institutional Barriers to Non-Profit Housing Production
Report
Learn moreThis study by BSH community partner, Vivre en Ville, examines the systemic barriers preventing non-profit housing construction in Montreal following the end of Quebec’s AccèsLogis program, identifying financial, political, and institutional obstacles that limit subsidized housing development during the current housing crisis.
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Le Dernier Flip: Screening and Housing Research Panel in Montreal | October 30, 2025
Film Screening and Panel
Learn moreJoin us on October 30, 2025 for a screening of Le dernier flip, a compelling documentary on decommodifying housing, followed by a panel discussion featuring housing BSH researchers.
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Episode 13: Non-Profit Housing and Gentle Density
Podcast
Learn moreCanada doesn’t just need big housing plans—we need smart, small-scale solutions. BSH community and academic partners look to examples in Montreal to explain how more non-profit housing and gentle density can boost affordability and supply nationwide.
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Research in Progress on Non-Profit Housing in Montreal
Research in Progress Webinar
Learn moreWatch a recording of BSH’s Research in Progress webinar on the institutional barriers facing non-market housing providers in Montreal—and the pathways forward.
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Housing beyond the market municipal tools for promoting non-profit housing in Montréal
Study
Learn moreThis study explores municipal policy tools that could better support non-profit housing, drawing on workshops with housing actors and examples from other cities.
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Overcoming Institutional Barriers to Non-market Housing
Research in Progress Webinar
Learn moreThis presentation hones in on lessons learned in the Montreal area on ways and means to overcome structural and institutional barriers to non-market housing, and explore the path forward in order to unlock the full potential of this exciting contribution to a true balanced supply of housing.
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Project Overview
Poster
Learn moreThis poster outlines the project scope, approach, barriers, solutions, and recommendations to reduce obstacles to non-market housing in the Montréal Metropolitan Area.
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Home for whom? A socio-political examination of Montreal’s bylaw for a diverse metropolis
Journal Article
Learn moreMontreal’s inclusionary zoning bylaw aims to promote housing affordability, but this study finds its market-based approach insufficient to address deeper financialization issues driving unaffordability.
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