AccèsLogis Québec — Opening of Carré Saint-Louis de Joliette, in Joliette
JOLIETTE, Quebec, October 26, 2007 — Single mothers, low-income families and individuals from the Joliette area now have access to more affordably housing thanks to the renovation of the Congrégation des sœurs des Saints Cœurs de Jésus et de Marie’s provincial house. This renovation has led to the creation of the Maison Pauline Bonin and Logements d’Amélie, two housing projects offering 12 and 27 units, respectively.
This announcement was made today, on the occasion of the opening of the Carré Saint-Louis de Joliette, by the Honourable Lawrence Cannon, MP for Pontiac and Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of the Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, and by Vincent Auclair, MNA for Vimont and Parliamentary Assistant to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions, on behalf of Nathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions. Diane Nicoletti, Municipal Councillor for the City of Joliette, and the Chairs of the Boards of Directors of the Carré Saint-Louis de Joliette and its four components also attended the ceremony, in the presence of stakeholders, tenants and community partners.
"Our Government is working to help single mothers, low income families and individuals by contributing to projects like these," said Minister Cannon. "We are pleased to work in cooperation with the Government of Quebec, the municipality and community sector representatives to provide our fellow citizens with a better quality of life."
"The Government of Quebec is sensitive to the needs experienced by a number of women in difficulty and low-income households seeking suitable and affordable homes that will help them out of their precarious situation. We are therefore very proud to have provided our assistance to the Maison Pauline Bonin and Logements d’Amélie, which will help these people grow within the Joliette community," said Vincent Auclair.
More than $5.6 million was invested by public, private and community partners to develop these projects. Financial contributions in the amount $4.3 million were provided for this development, including more than $1.5 million by the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) under the AccèsLogis Québec program and around $580,000 by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to support the recycling of a non-residential building into housing under the conversion component of the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program. The community, for its part, contributed a sum of $1.7 million, including close to $148,000 from the City of Joliette.
As well, the Government of Quebec and the City of Joliette provided, in equal shares, nearly $366,000 in financial assistance under the Renovation Québec program. The balance of the investment is being assumed by the Maison Pauline Bonin and the Société de logements populaires de Lanaudière through a mortgage loan secured by the SHQ.
The development of these projects is part of the Government of Quebec's initiative to achieve its objective of producing 22,000 social and community housing units for low- and moderate-income households, as well as people in difficulty with special housing needs, by 2010.
The federal government and the Government of Quebec signed two agreements to increase the supply of affordable housing in Quebec. These agreements provide for a total contribution of $473 million, with $236.5 million from the federal government and an equivalent sum on the part of the Quebec government and the municipalities participating in the Affordable Housing Québec and AccèsLogis Québec programs.
Source:
Jonathan Trudeau
Press Assistant
Office of the Deputy Premier and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Regions
418-691-2050
514-873-2622
Information:
Hélène Bégin
Communications Advisor
Communications
Société d’habitation du Québec
418-643-5033
Marie-Chantale Lortie
Communications and Marketing
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
514-283-7972
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