STM's no-loitering policy in métro ends, but long-term solution sought
The STM announced on March 13 it would put in place a no-loitering policy forcing those gathering in métro stations to keep moving. It was a reaction to recent surveys that showed one out of two Montrealers no longer felt safe within the métro network, a statistic Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said was unacceptable.
Plante supported the STM's decision to mandate its security officers to evict those loitering in stations. She added the stations are often littered with human waste, used needles and crack pipes, making them unsafe and uncomfortable for many users. The order to crack down on loitering ended on Wednesday.
The result of the policy was a discernible decrease in the number of unhoused people frequenting downtown métro stations. Contacted Friday, the STM said it will analyze the data it gleaned from the nearly two-month-long operation with a view to making it public after the STM's leadership has had a chance to see it. The STM will also reach out to community groups working with the unhoused in order to come up with a post-mortem that will be key to putting together a long-term solution the STM hopes to have in place for next winter.
'In the meantime, our constables will continue to enforce the STM's regulations, and always by referring people in need towards the appropriate resources,' STM spokesperson Laurence Houde-Roy said in a statement.
She added the goal of the long-term plan will be to ensure people on the streets get to the appropriate shelter services while limiting the effect on STM riders and employees.
David Chapman, the executive director of the day shelter Resilience Montreal, said he hopes whatever plan the STM puts in place, it is more humane than the one that was in effect these last six months.
'It led to a lot more homeless people with tickets and unnecessary infractions, and they would come by Resilience and I would hear about it,' Chapman said. 'There were unhappy altercations with security agents in the métro and tickets that they can't pay, and a lot of stress, too.'
Chapman said the city should start work now on planning for next year's cold season by finding warm spaces that can accommodate those who are most in need. He added the city can even open such spaces this summer. That would allow people to have a place to take shelter from the heat and humidity.
'Year after year, we don't have anywhere near enough accessible spaces for the unhoused to be, so as a result, we have them cramming the métros, and now when the métro becomes a problem, you go ahead and penalize them for it. Anyone with a little common sense is going to look at this and say: 'If you had provided enough adequate spaces in the first place, this wouldn't be a problem.' '
On the social media site X, opposition councillor Benoit Langevin, the Ensemble Montréal spokesperson on homelessness issues, chided the Plante administration for acting without any thought-out plan and without consulting the major actors in the homeless space.
In a statement issued Friday, Béatrice Saulnier-Yelle, a spokesperson for Plante's office, said the city's goal is to ensure a safe métro network, 'above all during the winter period, while allowing those most vulnerable to access the necessary resources, while minimizing the impacts on public transit users and employees.'
Saulnier-Yelle said the mayor has called for a national plan to address homelessness. 'Minister (Lionel) Carmant has to provide the means to develop the infrastructure needed to welcome people who are homeless, suffering from substance abuse, or mental-health problems,' Saulnier-Yelle added. 'On our side, the city will pursue efforts with the opening of three modular housing sites.'
This story was originally published May 2, 2025 at 4:42 PM.
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