A few months ago, Radio-Canada reported that a candidate for mayor of Saguenay, Luc Boivin, was making accessory dwelling units (ADUs) the heart of his strategy against the housing crisis. The story deserves a second look, because the candidate became mayor on November 2, 2025 by a narrow margin of 232 votes. A proposal that would have seemed technical two years ago is now an election commitment confirmed at the ballot box.
The proposal: a municipal ADU program
Faced with an extremely low rental vacancy rate, the candidate proposed setting up a program allowing a second dwelling to be added at an existing address. The examples given were concrete: a loft built above a garage by raising the roof, or a small home placed at the back of the yard.
According to the report published by CKAJ based on information from Le Quotidien, the ADUs had to meet clear criteria to fit into existing neighbourhoods: same architectural style as the main house, one storey maximum, similar materials, landscaping and parking provided. Not a tiny home dropped in from nowhere, then, but a building designed to speak the same language as the street.
The stated goal fits in three lines: create housing, support the property value of existing homes, all without a major impact on residents' tax bills.
The model cited: Trois-Rivières
Luc Boivin explicitly cited Trois-Rivières and Sherbrooke as sources of inspiration. The Trois-Rivières case is particularly clear.
Since February 28, 2025, Trois-Rivières homeowners can add an ADU on their lot, in a secondary front yard, side yard or backyard, or integrated into the main house, under the Housing Policy adopted by the City in 2023. Each project must be submitted to the Planning Advisory Committee, then approved by city council. The City speaks openly of “gentle density” and publishes a guide for the public to support homeowners.
The idea Saguenay tried to adopt is therefore already at work elsewhere in Quebec, with a proven process.
What this case reveals
The episode goes beyond Saguenay. It says something broader.
First, ADUs have left the language of urban planners and entered that of municipal politics. They come up in election debates, in promises, in platforms. A candidate can now build part of their platform on the question of accessory housing and win with it.
Next, the image of ADUs is changing. The “loft above the garage” and the “backyard tiny home” are no longer presented as technical exceptions, but as ordinary tools for responding to a housing crisis. It is a change in cultural status as much as in regulation.
Finally, the municipal role is increasingly recognized. The provincial as-of-right provision of Bill 31 opened a door, but it does not cover everything, especially detached units. It is now in city halls that most of what can be built is decided.
Key takeaways
When a mayoral candidate in a major Quebec city makes ADUs his main housing proposal, and gets elected, it is no longer just an urban planning policy. It is an underlying trend. The ongoing spread, city by city, will draw in the coming years a map of Quebec where an ADU is more or less easy depending on where you live. The best compass remains, as always, your own municipality's bylaw.