Montreal Mayor says province is ‘turning a blind eye’ to housing ‘humanitarian crisis’

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is accusing the provincial government of 'turning a blind eye' to homeless crisis.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is accusing the provincial government of “turning a blind eye” to the “humanitarian crisis” the city is facing when it comes to homelessness.

Plante said with shelters overflowing, the city was forced to open another warming centre in Saint-Laurent, which will be open between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. until March 31. Equipped with foldable chairs and tables, it can accommodate about 40 people.

At a news conference Monday, Plante acknowledged that the set-up is far from ideal but said the city is paying for these kinds of resources out-of-pocket when they should be coming from the provincial government. She added that she plans on forwarding the bill to the province.

“Where is the empathy, where is the plan we’ve been asking for, the strategy, the tools, the resources? Cities are here to help; I want to help … but we want to be treated like real partners,” said Plante.

“Quebec keeps saying the real solution is more housing and yes, I agree we need more housing, but while we wait for that what do we do? We let them sleep in a Metro tunnel, on the street, in a tent?”

Plante’s administration has been criticized for refusing to call a state of emergency in the face of homelessness in the city, but the mayor said it’s not that simple. She stressed that Montreal needs predictability and recurring funding, rather than give itself the green light to “spend taxpayer money however we want without consulting boroughs.”

The mayor acknowledged that Saint-Laurent is far from the downtown core, but that resources need to be spread out over the island.

“I understand the concerns and critiques of our solution and we will follow this closely, but we refuse to let people sleep outside,” Plante told reporters at the new warming centre Monday.

Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant said he was surprised by Plante’s comments, and that the government is taking the issue “very seriously” and has invested “huge sums” since coming into power.

“We’re working together with the city, community organizations and the CIUSSS CS. Can we stop looking for someone to blame?” he said.

“If the problem was just money, we would have solved this crisis a long time ago. Everyone agrees that it’s complex and that there are a multitude of factors to consider. As they say, putting a band-aid on a hemorrhage doesn’t solve the problem.”

Carmant also pointed out that there’s $12 million on the table from the agreement signed with the federal government, which is available for promising long-term projects. But Plante said the city needs immediate resources.

1,000 housing units planned downtown

Meanwhile, non-profit housing group UTILE and developer Mondev announced they will collaborate with the city to build some 1,000 housing units, with half being off market, at at the former Îlot Voyageur Sud bus site.

Last year, the city put out a public call for proposals to develop the site by Berri-UQAM Metro. Robert Beaudry, executive committee member responsible for homelessness, said that the city received very few proposals that fit the rigid framework the city had put forward until now.

The site is a stone’s-throw away from Parc Emilie-Gamelin, CÉGEP du Vieux-Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal’s campus. The area has been hard-hit by the homelessness crisis, with many reporting they feel unsafe in the area and several businesses closing.

The UTILE-led project is part of the city’s strategy to revive the downtown sector. The building, which will be between 14 and 20 storeys, should include 430 units reserved for students and another 100 affordable housing units. There will be room for shops, office spaces and community spaces on the ground floor.

Construction is scheduled to start in summer 2025 and should be completed by 2030.