Québec's Blueprint: Turning Empty Offices into Affordable Homes

QUÉBEC, QC – June 15, 2026 – In a city grappling with a near-zero vacancy rate, officials today announced a project that is less a simple ribbon-cutting and more a strategic masterstroke. The 15-storey Catherine de Longpré office building at 1075 chemin Ste-Foy, a relic of a different economic era, is set to be transformed into 222 social and affordable housing units. The $79 million initiative represents a potential blueprint for how cities can creatively tackle the twin crises of housing affordability and underutilized commercial real estate.

The announcement, a joint effort by federal, provincial, and municipal governments alongside the non-profit developer Socialim, comes at a critical juncture for Québec City. The rental market vacancy rate has plummeted to a 15-year low of 0.9%, far below the 3% benchmark of a healthy market. Between 2019 and 2024, average rents for two-bedroom apartments in the city’s core skyrocketed by 30-40%, pushing thousands of households into precarity. With over 50,000 households on waitlists for affordable housing across the province, the 222 new units are a desperately needed infusion of supply.

An Innovative Answer to a Dual Crisis

The Catherine de Longpré project is a prime example of adaptive reuse, a trend gaining traction as office vacancy rates remain stubbornly high in the wake of the pandemic-driven shift to remote work. Instead of letting a valuable urban asset languish or face demolition, the city and its partners are betting on conversion as a sustainable path forward.

This is no simple renovation. Converting office towers, with their deep floor plates and centralized systems, into livable, light-filled apartments presents significant architectural and financial hurdles. However, the success of such projects can revitalize downtown cores, reduce urban sprawl, and add housing stock directly into established neighborhoods with existing infrastructure—a trifecta of urban planning goals. The project not only converts the existing tower but also adds a new 12-storey building, maximizing the land's potential.

Quebec Minister Responsible for Housing, Karine Boivin Roy, framed the project as a forward-thinking evolution in development. "This future rental development illustrates how programs, partnerships, and development models are changing and opening up new opportunities to increase the supply of social and affordable housing," she stated.

The Collaborative Blueprint for a $79 Million Vision

Perhaps the most significant innovation is not architectural, but financial and political. The project's $79 million price tag is supported by a complex tapestry of inter-governmental funding that offers a case study in collaborative governance.

The financial backbone includes a $14.5 million grant to the non-profit developer Socialim, sourced from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) via a Canada-Quebec agreement. The City of Québec is injecting over $7.5 million, while a further $14.3 million comes from "patient capital" loans—long-term, flexible financing designed for social impact rather than quick returns. This blend of grants and low-pressure capital is critical for making a non-market housing project viable.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Member of Parliament for Québec-Centre, emphasized the collaborative spirit, stating, "Every project like this one draws us closer to the country we want to build--a country where everyone has access to a safe and affordable place to call home."

This sentiment was echoed by Marie-Pierre Boucher, Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee of the City of Québec. "The quick completion of an office building conversion project into non-market housing shows that access to affordable housing is an ongoing priority for the City of Québec," she noted, highlighting the project's strategic placement near transit and services.

Forging a Community in Québec's Upper Town

Beyond the balance sheets and policy papers, the project's ultimate goal is to create a stable, diverse community. The 222 units are slated for completion by fall 2028 and will provide a mix of housing types desperately needed in the city: 105 one-bedroom, 68 two-bedroom, and 49 three-bedroom units.

Crucially, the affordability is tiered to ensure a mix of incomes and prevent the creation of a monolithic social housing block. The plan designates 118 units for "intermediate affordable rent" and 104 for "affordable rent," with all rents tied to the Société d’habitation du Québec (SHQ) revenue schedules. This structure aims for social diversity and long-term project sustainability.

For the most vulnerable tenants, the project's most impactful feature will be the SHQ's Rent Supplement Program. At least 52 eligible households will have their rent capped at just 25% of their income, a lifeline for those on the brink of housing instability. This deep subsidy, funded 90% by the province and 10% by the city, is the key to ensuring true affordability for low-income families and individuals.

Dany Caron, CEO of Socialim, described the project as "agile, innovative, and aligned with needs," a sentiment that captures the essence of this ambitious undertaking. By transforming public infrastructure, the project will provide residential stability to hundreds of people in an area of Upper Town where non-market housing is scarce.

While 222 units will not single-handedly solve a housing deficit measured in the tens of thousands, the Catherine de Longpré conversion is a powerful proof of concept. It demonstrates that with political will, financial creativity, and collaborative partnerships, the empty office towers of yesterday can become the vibrant, affordable communities of tomorrow.