Canada/Itinerancy and extreme cold: the City of Montreal triggers emergency measures
On Thursday, the Ville de Montréal announced that it was implementing winter measures 11 days ahead of schedule, "even though not all the criteria have been met", given the freezing temperatures forecast for the coming days. It is making 135 places in the halte-chaleur temporarily available as of this evening.
Winter has arrived far too quickly," says Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada, "and this cold snap has prompted the city to implement temporary winter measures ahead of the original December 15 deadline.
For the next four or five days, the Downtown YMCA in the Ville-Marie borough will be welcoming 135 homeless people between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m., starting this evening, in addition to the 500 new warm-weather spaces that will be available between now and Christmas.
Security personnel have also been employed by the city to ensure smooth operation.
More teams from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) and the Service de sécurité incendie de Montréal (SIM), in partnership with theÉquipe mobile de médiation et d'intervention sociale (ÉMMIS) and the health network, will also be patrolling the area.
Call for cooperation
The mayor, who insists on the word tolerance, took advantage of her Thursday morning press briefing to call for a major mobilization on the part of the population and merchants. We need everyone, it's going to take a war effort.
She asked everyone to contact 211 to donate winter sleeping bags, warm clothing, tuques, gloves and mittens, among other things. Open your doors if you can," she adds.
Despite the powers she claims to have obtained from Quebec City, the mayor insists that she does not have the capacity to buy sleeping bags in 24 hours. However, with the introduction of winter measures on December 15, we will be able to, she assures us.
For its part, the Centre de service scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) would like to know the locations of future warming stations, as well as the measures that will be put in place for surrounding communities.
In a press release, the CSSDM expressed its concern, based on previous experience of such close proximity to our schools. We want to be sure that everything will be done to protect the peace and safety of our communities," it added.
Keeping warm in the metro
Although the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has renewed its ban on loitering in the metro until April 302026, General Manager Marie-Claude Léonard assures us that this instruction is not systematically applied. We ask our members to use their best judgment, but it's important to live together safely," she says.
Extreme-cold weather measures are a response to exceptional and temporary circumstances," says Benoit Langevin, who is in charge of social development and cohabitation. Extreme weather conditions create additional pressure on existing sites and services, he adds.
On Monday, the Martinez Ferrada administration announced the creation of a crisis unit bringing together players from the health and social services network, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, the Ministry of Public Safety, community partners and the Ville de Montréal.
At the time, the mayor indicated that they would meet weekly, until January 1, to facilitate rapid decision-making and make ongoing adjustments, based on problems observed in real time on the ground.
Thursday's announcement is the result of progress made at the first three meetings of this unit.
Two new drop-in heat stations from mid-December
Two new haltes-chaleur will open their doors in the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve boroughs from mid-December to March 31.
Sainte-Bibiane church, in Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie, will offer 20 places to women in vulnerable situations. This service will be maintained every night, from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m., during the cold season.
The Sainte-Émélie convent, located in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, will welcome up to 60 people, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., starting December 15.
Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/
