The challenge of moving in the middle of a pandemic

It’s moving day everywhere in Quebec, Wednesday, but COVID-19, combined with a housing shortage, is making things more difficult this year.

Because the pandemic has not reduced the number of moves during this summer period. On the contrary, after a certain break in March and April, activity has resumed for the past few weeks, says the owner of Déménagement Le Clan Panneton, Pierre-Olivier Cyr.

“Surprisingly, it’s the same as last year and the others before,” he notes. But usually, our peak period is between June 15 and July 15, but here we see a sprawl that goes until the end of August, beginning of September. ”

Pandemic forces, hired movers must also take several health measures. The Panneton Clan requests that only one person be present, in order to limit interactions between the movers and the customers.

Those who prefer to call on friends or family must also respect sanitary measures, for example exhaustive cleaning of surfaces and a reduced number of participants.

“Normally, I would have invited seven to eight people, but today, I am obliged to limit myself to three people, for security reasons,” explains a tenant met near Trois-Rivières, where many students have packed up this year. Several of them have had their sessions cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Others, whose courses will be taught remotely next session, do not need, in the short term, housing near the CEGEP or the university.

In certain residential buildings popular with students, TVA Nouvelles was able to observe up to five simultaneous moves. What complicate travel in the corridors of the building.

Abandoned animals

1^is July is also synonymous with animals abandoned for all kinds of reasons by tenants. This year is no exception: the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Montreal is once again bombarded with calls from owners unable to continue taking care of their little beast.

“This year is special because there are several people who have lost their jobs and the vacancy rate is particularly low in the Montreal region. What we seem to have are people who did not expect to find themselves in this situation ”, explains the director general of the Montreal SPCA, Élise Desaulniers.

The vacancy rate in Montreal hovers around 1.4%, unheard of. This situation drives rents up and leads some people who have not found accommodation for animals to turn to shelters.

“It is often a heartbreaking decision. These people are literally in tears, ”said M^me Desaulniers.

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