We discussed housing in our presentation. This issue has been a concern for all Quebec regions, even rural regions, for some years now. However, the programs offered for social housing, affordable housing or housing in general are often designed to suit the needs of urbanized areas. The important thing for both levels of government will be to take account of the new challenges involved in the current situation.
What's happening now in some regions is that the cost to build a housing project is higher than its market value as a result of rising materials and construction contract costs. Consequently, it's important that the two levels of government, together with the municipalities, find solutions so these projects can be carried out. Without necessarily being strictly financed out of public funding, they will have to be feasible and profitable for their developers and especially to provide housing in short order for workers and families wishing to settle.
With regard to the housing construction component, the municipalities are in a very good position to detect existing problems in the area, to find solutions suited to each of the RCMs and municipalities and, lastly, to promote, as partners, projects that meet the needs of the various municipalities.