Diverse Metropolis: Benefits to date
Residential developers whose projects are subject to the By-law for a Diverse Metropolis must reach an agreement with the city. Thanks to these agreements, residents have access to a greater supply of social, affordable and family housing. The most recent results are as follows.
This page presents the main impacts of the by-law as of September 30, 2025. This information is updated every four months.
Agreements with developers
Since the by-law came into force on April 1, 2021, the city has signed 256 agreements calling for a total of $63 126 167 in financial contributions. The by-law also led to commitments equivalent to the construction of about 1072 social housing units,159 affordable housing units and 1378 family housing units.
Every agreement must include a social housing commitment. Depending on the area and the scope of the project, some agreements also include affordable and family housing commitments.
The commitments take a variety of forms: building housing units, transferring land or a building, or providing a financial contribution.
Financial contributions are issued to the city progressively according to the project’s advancement. It may take several years before the collected sums are fully reinvested in social and affordable housing projects.
Social housing component
Expected financial contributions: $51 353 321
Share of expected financial contributions already received by the City: $39 076 536
- Number of agreements calling for a financial contribution: 245
- Number of agreements calling for a land transfer or the construction of a building: 11
- Planned residential floor area: 108 191 square metres (or about 1202 social housing units)
Affordable housing component
Expected financial contributions: $11 772 846
Share of expected financial contributions already received by the City: $8 628 879
- Number of agreements calling for a financial contribution: 34
- Number of agreements calling for the creation of affordable housing (including affordable off-market housing): 1
- Planned residential floor area: 14 296 square metres (or about 159 affordable housing units)
Family housing component
- Number of agreements calling for a family housing contribution: 59
- Total family housing units planned: 1378
Creation of affordable housing zones
Since the entry into force of the By-law, affordable housing requirements are concentrated in areas where increases in residential development potential have been approved through amendments to the previous Master Plan or through the adoption of the 2050 Land Use and Mobility Plan. Two types of zones are possible (type 1 and type 2 zones), depending on the scale of the increase in residential development potential. Projects located in a type 1 zone must include affordable housing for the equivalent of 10% of the private residential floor area, while this requirement is 20% in a type 2 zone.
Total land area designated as affordable housing zones:
- Type 1 zones: 417,68 ha
- Type 2 zones: 2 037,70 ha
Open data
The city’s open data platform provides access to two sets of data regarding the by-law for a mixed metropolis. You may look up and download files pertaining to the maps used for the enforcement of the by-law, as well as to the highlights of the agreements made in accordance with the by-law. For more information, go to the page.
In line with the inclusion strategy
The By-law for a Diverse Metropolis is a continuation of the strategy for the inclusion of affordable housing in new residential projects, which it replaces. It allows to correct its limitations, particularly with regard to the projects subject to it and its incentive nature. For an overview of the benefits of the strategy, in force from 2005 to 2021, see the final report.
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