Two municipal officials want to hold a vote on declaring a state of emergency on the issue of homelessness in Montreal, which they believe would allow more resources to be mobilized. The Plante administration counters that it is not the right tool.
Posted at 12:37 p.m.
The independent councilors of the South-West of Ville-Marie, Craig Sauvé and Serge Sasseville, will propose this vote next Monday, to the municipal council. Their motion follows a request to this effect which was made by Mr. Sauvé during the last council meeting last October.
Mr. Sauvé deplores that the City knows “that there are more people at risk in Montreal this year”. “It is now November, the bitter cold of winter is coming, and there are not enough beds in the shelters, we must act immediately to save lives,” he maintains.
“It is unthinkable that in our metropolis the situation has become so serious that Montrealers report seeing people experiencing homelessness die before their eyes,” adds Mr. Sasseville.
Their exit comes two days after that of the Support Network for Single and Homeless People of Montreal (RAPSIM). The latter deplored Tuesday that even if it is increased in anticipation of cold weather, the number of places in shelters will not be able to meet the increased needs during this critical period.
More resources
A state of emergency would make it possible to “mobilize all the necessary resources to ensure that all people experiencing homelessness can be housed,” reads the text of the motion.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The document urges the City to requisition the quantity of rooms necessary “for private accommodation in order to house people experiencing homelessness or at high risk of homelessness before winter”, then to “prioritize the resolution of this humanitarian crisis in its political and budgetary actions.
In addition to the municipal council, the city’s budget – the last of outgoing mayor Valérie Plante – must in fact be adopted next Wednesday. MM. Sauvé and Sasseville are asking that additional funds be allocated for hiring staff in accommodation resources.
In the office of Mayor Valérie Plante, we respond that “several other measures can be deployed rather than using this tool at this time”.
“The City of Montreal is ready to deploy more land and modular units to meet needs, and additional measures will be confirmed in the coming weeks by our partners. We must continue to collaborate together to offer structuring solutions,” says the press officer, Simon Charron.
The latter also reiterates the call made by the mayor to Quebec and Ottawa to release “immediately” the 100 million dollars resulting from a fund of 250 million announced by Ottawa in September 2024.
