As winter approaches, two independent Montreal city councillors, Craig Sauvé and Serge Sasseville, have proposed a motion to declare a state of emergency on homelessness in the city. The motion, which will be voted on Monday, calls for urgent measures, including mobilizing resources to provide housing for the homeless and requisitioning private spaces to shelter them before the cold sets in. It also requests additional funding from the Quebec and federal governments to support these efforts.
The councillors argue that Montreal has reached a critical point in addressing homelessness and that the city needs to act with urgency to ensure adequate shelter and safety for the unhoused. They also criticize the provincial government’s handling of the issue, calling it “grossly incompetent.” The motion references the powers granted by the Act Respecting Civil Protection, which allowed the city to requisition shelter spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Montreal’s shelters are at or near capacity, with plans to increase spaces to 2,102 by December, a city spokesperson argued that other measures, such as building more modular housing, could be deployed instead of declaring a state of emergency. Advocates support the motion, warning that without immediate action, the city will see an increase in homeless deaths, particularly due to fentanyl use.
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