The official opposition party to the City of Montreal, Ensemble Montréal, is demanding more investment and a clear plan from the Plante administration regarding homelessness.
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There are more and more tents in different places in the metropolis, particularly along Notre-Dame Street.
The opposition spokesperson for the fight against poverty and homelessness deplores the security issues around these encampments and asks the City for a clear plan to tackle the problem.
“We always face winter as if it were a new season, something new of some sort,” he says. However, all the indicators have been red for a very long time.”
“As responsible for the municipality, we believe that with the indicators we have and with the analyzes we have, we have all the necessary answers for citizens to justify significant investments so that our infrastructure is ready” , he adds.
VAT NEWS
The Réseau Solidarité Itinérance Québec deplores, for its part, that the allocated amounts take too long to reach the hands of stakeholders on the ground.
“When winter comes, the money is there, but we are not organizing so that it is available on the ground so that community groups can use it to save lives and prevent homelessness in outside,” says the organization’s general director, Boromir Vallée Dore.
According to citizens interviewed by VAT Newsthe situation has deteriorated in recent weeks along Notre-Dame Street.
“I looked at this and said to myself, it’s a shame that the City is not being more proactive on this subject at the moment,” says a resident of the area.
VAT NEWS
“We see that it has multiplied,” says a passerby. A week ago, there was only one and we see that there are more.”
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“The City says it can’t do anything,” adds another man. The police say it’s the City, the MTQ says it’s the City. So there is nothing to do.”
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The City of Montreal refused TVA Nouvelles’ interview requests on this subject on Sunday.
See the full explanation in the video above