Residents near Atwater Metro station raising safety concerns

Downtown residents near Atwater Metro station say the neighbourhood is no longer safe, especially at night, and are asking for help and better security.

The Manoir Charles Dutaud on Tupper Street houses more than 160 low-income tenants over the age of 60 and some of them say they feel unsafe, citing issues like people sleeping in elevators, stairways, and emergency exits who sometimes carry weapons.

Tasks as simple as getting laundry are now considered dangerous.

“We don’t even go to the laundry anymore because we go in couples. The women don’t want to go alone because there they are doing the laundry, being on the floor. They use it as a bathroom. We have to live with this,” said tenant Ana Devita.

The tenants blame the homeless population and drug dealers in the neighbourhood, located next to Cabot Square — a situation they say has worsened since the pandemic.

“Twenty times a day, prostitution comes in here. Drug dealers come in here,” said tenant Alfred McLean.

They are calling for 24-hour security at the door. Right now, there’s security from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. because moving out is not an option.

“I can’t look for rent when rent is $2,000 a month and my pension is $2,000 a month,” Devita said.

Some people around Cabot Square say there’s been a lot of improvement over the years, especially with the opening of a community centre. But it still doesn’t solve some of the issues happening at night.

Many locals told CTV News that they avoid going out at night.

In a statement, Montreal’s housing authority, which is responsible for the building, says it’s continuing to work to improve security after setting up committees and public meetings during the summer.

“We’re making changes to the main door, and to the emergency exit in the back, and we’ll add more security cameras,” part of the statement reads.

There’s no word on the tenants’ main demand to have a security guard around the clock. Without it, they say they remain just as fearful come nightfall.