MONTREAL – Soraya Martinez Ferrada unveiled a plan aimed at keeping Montreal’s homeless community safe through the winter months on Thursday, which includes close to 3,000 spots in warming centres and emergency shelters available 24/7.
“My hope is that no one should be born or dies in the street,” the mayor said.
Just this week, two homeless people died in Quebec. On Wednesday, a fire in an encampment in Montreal-North killed a woman in her fifties. Police consider the death accidental, but an investigation is ongoing.
The fire left a pile of charred rubble where a tent had been installed, and a makeshift memorial was set up for the woman.
Yueness Raduae said she knew the victim and is staying in a nearby tent at the encampment.
“Whatever we do, we can never escape the cold and pain,” he said.
Police confirm a 59-year-old man was found unconscious Monday night behind a building in Granby. He was brought to a hospital but died. A coroner’s investigation is underway.
Last month, the Montreal police said it found a one-year-old baby in an encampment along Notre-Dame Street in the city’s east end. The baby was placed into the care of a relative.
At the time, Ferrada said that it was a sign the province was not doing enough to address the crisis.
All levels of government will work together: Carney
The encampment where the baby was found is in the provincial riding of Camille-Laurin, represented by Quebec’s premier-designate, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.
Quebec’s newly elected Parti Quebecois (PQ) government has promised to hold a summit on homelessness and has pledged to invest $1 billion. Plamondon says the goal is to decrease the number of homeless people in Quebec in half by 2030.
Prime Minister Mark Carney applauded Quebec’s position.
“It’s a question of justice, it is a necessity, and it is a priority,” Carney said in Sherbrooke, Que. “I am very happy it is a priority for Quebec’s new government. It is a priority for the Canadian government and for many municipalities. We will work on this together.”
Community groups in Montreal have been pushing for stable funding for years, and the city has asked the province for a three-year commitment.
It estimates the need for this year alone to be $20 million.
La Rue des Femmes is an organization helping women experiencing homelessness. Alia Hassan-Cournol, the director general of La Rue Des Femmes, said there’s a sense of optimism.
“We have hope because for the first time, we think all levels of governments are in line and homelessness is a priority,” said Hassan-Cournol. But she also said this won’t solve the problem in the short term.
“It’s going to be tough, because it is tough on the streets right now,” she said.
Montreal’s mayor said measures to combat homelessness are well-known and include providing health-care support, as well as mental health and addiction services. But she also added it will take political will from all levels of government to reach a lasting solution.
