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Montreal Gazette
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: Call for widespread tolerance of the unhoused could be a tough sell for Montrealers
By Allison Hanes What if the city's unhoused population isn't the problem when it comes to the growing tensions on the streets of Montreal? What if it's everyone else's attitudes toward homelessness that are really the issue? A new report on social cohabitation released by the Office de consultation publique de Montréal last week challenges elected officials, service providers, business owners, police and 'housed' Montrealers alike to take a long look in the mirror. The landmark report was ordered by Mayor Valérie Plante when efforts to establish resources for the vulnerable backfired in certain neighbourhoods and provoked a backlash in others before they even got off the ground. If Plante's hope was to open hearts and minds while countering NIMBYism, the OCPM certainly delivered. But if the intent was to ease pressure on the city over its approach to addressing homelessness, that didn't happen. The opposite, in fact. The OCPM calls for a complete rethink of what 'cohabitation' even means, whether for decision-makers at three levels of government or 'privileged' Montrealers with a roof over their heads. But it also casts many of the prevailing policies for dealing with vulnerable people in a harsh light, from ousting the unhoused from métro stations, to city-run warming centres with nothing but chairs for those spending the night, to park benches with armrests to prevent sleeping, to no-dozing policies in libraries, to police ticketing people for loitering, to bulldozing encampments that spring up in parks or on vacant lots. The report offers up 22 recommendations for improving what have often been described as deteriorating conditions on city streets, first and foremost 'formally declaring — for example, with a council resolution — that Montrealers experiencing homelessness are citizens just like those who are housed.' Every intervention should henceforth be oriented around this principle. The OCPM says 'social cohabitation shouldn't be a condition, sine qua non, for the creation of a new resource,' nor should the burden of ensuring harmony fall so heavily on the shoulders of organizations that help the unhoused. Instead, cohabitation must be a 'shared responsibility' among 'partners.' That includes all levels of government, health and social service agencies, non-profit organizations — and Montrealers themselves. To achieve social acceptability, however, the report says the city has a duty to communicate with the public in a manner that is clear and transparent. The report says co-ordination and planning are the foundation of 'harmonious integration' when new facilities, be they supervised injection sites or shelters, are being set up. It's a subtle dig at the city over neighbours' complaints about pretend consultations and hastily rammed-through projects that don't address legitimate concerns. The report's strength is that it thoroughly and sensitively captures the human misery of homelessness. Rather than just enumerating the many causes (evictions are up 132 per cent and top the list, followed by job loss and substance abuse), or painting a statistical profile of the vulnerable (one-third of kids emerging from youth protection experience an episode of homelessness in adulthood, for instance, and Indigenous Montrealers make up less than one per cent of the city's population but account for 13 per cent of the unhoused), the OCPM drills into the grim realities of daily life on the streets. It quotes unhoused people about the stress of bouncing between resources scattered around the city, the exhaustion of having to wake up so early to leave emergency shelters by 7 a.m. each morning, the discomfort of having to spend the night sitting upright in a chair in a warming centre, the stress of trying to keep a job while having nowhere to live, and the indignity of having your scant worldly possessions, including precious health cards and other identification documents, swept up by a bulldozer clearing an encampment. While camping rough in city parks or vacant lots should be a last resort, the OCPM notes that they afford unhoused people a sense of community and autonomy that they can't get in shelters. It calls for Montreal to adopt a more lenient view of tent clusters and even to supply them with services like electricity, chemical toilets and garbage facilities. The report's weakness may be that the level of tolerance the OCPM advocates to foster cohabitation could be a tough sell. The city has already dismissed the idea of supporting camps. Robert Beaudry, the executive committee member in charge of housing and homelessness, said the big concern about tents is public safety, including the risk of fires. He also said the criticism of Montreal's efforts stings. As Plante said when delivering her last city budget, her administration has spent more than $1 billion since she came to office trying to ease the scourge of homelessness and address the addiction and mental health crises. Indeed, its heart is certainly in the right place, but the execution — warming stations with no toilets, to name one example — has not always been optimal. Plante has also made building more housing a major priority, including affordable, social and co-operative units. But the results have been mixed. Although the OCPM was quick to note a major deficiency of the response to the unhoused is the lack of co-ordination between all levels of government, the report lets the Quebec government off the hook. Homelessness is largely an issue that must be addressed by health and social services, which are provincial jurisdiction. Plante has called out Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant for closing his eyes to the humanitarian catastrophe in Montreal. The OCPM recommends giving the city's homelessness czar more powers to play a stronger role co-ordinating the stakeholders. But perhaps it's the Quebec government that needs to show this kind of leadership, since it has the money and the jurisdiction. The OCPM was likely acting within the bounds of its mandate as a municipal agency, but it's nevertheless a shortcoming of the report. The biggest hurdle, however, may be the laudable goal of changing the mentality of the public, something OCPM president Philippe Bourke acknowledged. It's not that Montrealers are hard-hearted or lack compassion for the unhoused. On the contrary, many sincerely want to see the vulnerable in their midst get the help they need. But as the report also explains, homelessness has become a phenomenon of overlapping crises in the last decade. Sympathy these days means a lot more than buying a coffee for the panhandler in front of the café. In central areas like Ville-Marie, the Plateau or the Sud-Ouest, a rise in drug use means people passed out in the middle of the street and public defecation in green alleys where children play. Drug dealers, addicts, street gangs and pimps have made Milton-Parc feel like the 'Third World,' according to testimony cited in the report. Chinatown has become 'an open-air toilet.' People sleeping in apartment building lobbies and becoming aggressive makes residents feel unsafe coming and going from their own homes. Neighbours have experienced break-ins and thefts, witnessed public sex acts and even been assaulted. Children fear walking to school alone after witnessing sex acts or being solicited. The Société de transport de Montréal may have 180 constables with psycho-social training, but five people still died of overdoses in the métro last year. In the waiting room of the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal's ER, 50 to 70 chairs are taken up some nights by people looking for a place to sleep rather than to consult a doctor. Perceptions of the unhoused may well have changed along with complications of homelessness — but so has the lived reality of the public. As long as the quality of life is being compromised in so many neighbourhoods, the patience of even the most understanding Montrealers will be tested. This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 7:15 PM.
Montreal Gazette
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: CAQ doesn't grasp the immigrant experience
Re: ' CAQ's vision of integration looks disconnected from reality ' (Toula Drimonis, June 6) There seems to be a complete lack of understanding in the Coalition Avenir Québec government about immigrants to Quebec and the need to maintain their mother tongues and cultures at home. This makes the transition much easier, just as it did for previous newcomers. It is a natural and normal dynamic among immigrants. It's so sad the government appears to have no sense of the immigrant experience. Gerry Raven, Hampstead Integration bill is beyond the pale Is it possible that Bill 84, the 'act respecting national integration,' was named in honour of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, or is it too much of a stretch to imagine that Immigration, Francization and Integration Minister Jean-François Roberge deigns to read anything conceived in English? Perhaps he is a devotee of the Borg in Star Trek, trying to assimilate the entire population of Quebec. Whatever the reason, this bill is an abomination. Rhonda Shechtman, Côte-St-Luc Let Supreme Court decide on school boards Re: ' Legault government pushes school board dispute to Supreme Court ' (The Gazette, June 1); ' Legault government has learned nothing by taking school board bill to Supreme Court ' (Allison Hanes, June 3) The Quebec English School Boards Association said it is deeply disappointed by the Legault government's decision to appeal the Bill 40 ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada, a move that columnist Allison Hanes noted 'has demonstrated the depth of its contempt for the rights of English-speaking Quebecers.' The QESBA and Hanes should welcome the decision. Should the Supreme Court agree to hear the case, it presents an impactful opportunity to uphold the principles of justice and equality and strengthen everyone's rights within Quebec's public school system. It would examine all perspectives and promote a fair resolution. The Supreme Court holds the ultimate authority to clarify essential constitutional questions that could establish legal precedents to benefit other minority-language groups in Canada. Chris Eustace, Pierrefonds Nunavik students learn priceless lessons Re: ' Trip of a lifetime for Nunavik students who 'deserve the world' ' (Extra, May 31) It's not every day you read a delightful story that leaves you smiling and inspired. Young students from Nunavik earned their way to visit Montreal through commitment, effort and the pride that comes from working toward something meaningful. Their reward wasn't just a fun trip. They also gained an expanded world view, increased confidence and the knowledge that dreams grow stronger with every step toward them. It shows education is about more than tests and textbooks. It's about building character, creating opportunity and helping young people discover they have a place in our world. What their teachers did is a powerful reminder we should teach values with transformative experiences that will echo throughout their lives. It's a model for motivating and empowering our youth. We need more of these inspirational opportunities for students that put a spotlight on growth, hope and achievement. This is what community-building and support look like and what education should always strive for. To the organizers: Bravo. To the students: Keep shining.
Montreal Gazette
16-05-2025
- Health
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: Home-care recipients mourn death of autonomy
By Allison Hanes François Bourbonnière said he almost had to miss the demonstration against cuts to home-care services in Quebec outside the CLSC Rosemont. After fighting for and finally securing a second shower each week, his additional bathing appointment was scheduled for afternoons. Forced to choose between personal hygiene and other engagements, he then had to launch a whole new battle for a more convenient time-slot. 'I want my shower in the morning so I can be involved and live my life,' Bourbonnière said Wednesday, as a crowd of about three dozen demonstrators held a funeral procession of wheelchairs, motorized scooters and walkers from a nearby park to protest the 'death of autonomy' — and in many cases their dignity. This was just one of countless frustrations described by some of the most vulnerable Quebecers, who are bearing the brunt of budget cuts in the health and social services sector. Late last year, Santé Québec was given a mandate to find $1.5 billion in savings. Although this year's budget increased health funding, it doesn't keep up with rising costs in the system, which means programs and services are being squeezed further. The impact is ricocheting throughout the system, but reductions to home care are taking an outsized toll on those who wouldn't be able to live independently without assistance with meals, dressing and cleaning. Besides frail seniors, adults with disabilities and parents of children with special needs are also being left in the lurch. 'Not a week goes by that we don't hear from somebody whose hours have been cut,' said Rose-Marie Wakil, who is both a recipient of services and a caregiver for her elderly mother, as well as a service co-ordinator at Ex aequo, which organized the sombre event. Home care is dispensed by local CLSCs or through a program called Chèque emploi-service, which allows those in need of care to be refunded for services they arrange themselves. Despite the program being more cost-effective — accounting for 37 per cent of home-care hours across Quebec but nine per cent of the budget — many local health authorities have suspended new enrolments. Chèque emploi-service is especially popular with adults living with disabilities who have jobs or attend school because the hours are more flexible. Wakil said if someone comes midday to bathe her mother, it means she has to get dressed and undressed twice, which is exhausting. Or if the caregiver shows up at 6 p.m. to do her bedtime routine, it means she gets put to sleep early 'like a baby.' But it's not only home-care hours that are on the chopping block. A decades-old fund that subsidizes renovations to adapt dwellings for mobility challenges has been slashed. The 250 people on the waiting list now have to get in the back of the line seeking assistance from the City of Montreal's program. More worrying is that Quebec is mulling charging people for home-care services based on their incomes. Hugo Vaillancourt, who advocates for the rights of Quebecers with mobility challenges at Ex aequo, said such a move would roll back decades of progress on inclusion and integration. 'Like any kind of tiered, pay-based-on-your-income type thing, it's always problematic, because where is the cutoff going to be? Who's going to end up in the situation where they don't have that much money, but now they have to pay extra and the reason is that they have limitations?' he said. 'So people are being taxed because they have limitations or because they are getting older. That's a big concern.' Vaillancourt attended a consultation in Quebec City this week where Minister Responsible for Seniors Sonia Bélanger spoke about a forthcoming 'national policy' to accelerate the offering of home-care services. Some participants from community groups staged a walkout, singing a funeral march as they left. Bélanger has mused publicly about contributions from home-care users as well as turning to the private sector. Bélanger is also considering relying more on non-profit groups and volunteer organizations to deliver meals or provide transport. And she wondered whether home-care providers need to have so many professional qualifications as Quebec seeks to recruit an additional 6,660 caregivers to meet growing demand. The MNA said she wants the Chèque emploi-service program to be 'more accessible and easier to use,' according to Le Devoir. But that's not what those dressed in black and carrying cardboard tombstones back in Montreal are experiencing. After waiting years for an apartment in a specially adapted living facility, Frédéric McNamara, 30, finally moved in last summer. Now he is being told he would be better off in a nursing home. 'It makes no sense to send me to a CHSLD,' McNamara said. 'I work full time. I'm a video-game designer. ... I need assistance to get up, go to bed, prepare meals and feeding. But for the rest, I'm autonomous. I work. I can organize my transport and go by myself. In a CHSLD I'd have a room, but now I have a 3 1/2. I wouldn't have that in a CHSLD. I couldn't decorate it how I want. I wouldn't have a kitchen. When I moved, my goal was to take some of the weight off my parents' shoulders, who were my caregivers.' Linda Gauthier, 67, has received home-care services since 2005, but increasingly relies on her husband as she ages and her condition worsens. 'He's got another job. I have to call him at work to come if I have a problem. But if they cut that, I would have to go to the long-term care,' she said, noting that it could cost many times more than home care. Gauthier said she would take medically assisted death over moving into an institution. 'I'm telling you, I won't even go to the long-term care. I know I can have it — three weeks and everything will be done if I ask for medical assistance in dying,' she said. 'It's done with my notary, my husband knows about it. I'm so sure about it.' Some could soon have more to grieve than autonomy.
Montreal Gazette
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: Balancing academic freedom with safety on campus
The open letter by CEGEP teachers demanding the resignation of Minister Pascale Déry puts a spotlight on the challenges of maintaining both safety and freedom of speech on campuses and the difficult tightrope the government must walk to navigate this balance. The conflict in the Middle East evokes strong emotions that have exploded into educational spaces. Allegations of harassment and inappropriate use of classroom time has given rise to the investigation by the ministry of higher education. This comes amid another investigation by various groups into dozens of antisemitic, racist and misogynistic slurs by Quebec medical school applicants on the popular social media platform Discord. Schools must remain places where academic freedom and open dialogue are cherished, but there is a limit to this freedom when students do not feel safe on campus and teachers cannot be trusted to maintain neutrality in their course content. The investigation by the ministry aims to ensure a respectful and peaceful climate in our schools. Our government not only has a right to deal with racism and antisemitism head-on, it has an obligation to do so. Marcy Bruck, The Foundation for Genocide Education, Montreal Anglos helped build Quebec, too Re: ' 'Go Habs Go' fiasco wasn't a one-off ' (Allison Hanes, May 2) Allison Hanes has hit the nail on the head. While we mock and criticize the 'language police,' they are doing their job according to the laws and policies of the Quebec government. With its approach and attitude of disrespect — and all-out campaign against the use of English in Quebec — it seems clear the CAQ government refuses to acknowledge the important role the anglophone community has played in the growth and development of our province. Gerry Raven, Hampstead Respect must be a two-way street In his first comments after being sworn in, Prime Minister Mark Carney described Canada as 'a country built on the bedrock of three peoples: Indigenous, French and British,' and called the Crown a link to 'Canada's proud British heritage.' We are used to being hit over the head with notions of Quebec's unique French heritage, but let us not forget that English Canada has a heritage and identity as well. The history of the Crown is intimately tied to all three of our founding peoples. It is the reason the Loyalists fled the American Revolution. It is the source of security for our treaties with Indigenous Peoples. And it offered the continuation of the French language, civil law and Catholic religion at a time when these were under severe pressure from American expansionism. Canada is careful to tiptoe around matters of identity, as Quebec rightly demands respect for its distinct society. But to get respect, you must give respect. Jordan Black, Rosemont Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Montreal Gazette
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: More doctors likely to flee under CAQ plan
Re: ' Doctors face a whole new game of hardball ' (Allison Hanes, May 9) Beneath the verbal window dressing, Quebec's latest health legislation does not seem like a plan to extend primary care to every Quebecer — it looks like a plan to ration medical care, given that doctors are a scarce resource in Quebec. If this plan becomes law, I expect doctors will become even scarcer. Elaine Bander, Montreal Airport expansion is a good thing There has been much anguish about the expansion of Trudeau airport and the loss of such buildings as the Manoir Kanisha pet boarding centre. Pet facilities and other buildings can be relocated, but an airport may be expanded only onto contiguous property that fits within the efficient layout of runways and support facilities — it cannot be piecemeal across the city. In the mid-1800s, Emperor Napoleon III created Paris's magnificent boulevards by demolishing narrow streets and buildings that had grown randomly over centuries, to the anguish of many Parisians. Would anyone now say Paris should revert to its earlier form? The charm, the heart of the city, rests upon these great boulevards. In the 21st century, a city without a modern, well-designed airport will slowly suffocate. Montreal must expand its airport; otherwise, it risks becoming a quaint backwater. David Grogan, Old Montreal A celebration, not a protest As organizers of the annual Israel Day Celebration, we would like to thank The Gazette for its interest and coverage of our event. However, we are very disappointed that you gave the presence and message of the few protesters who showed up at our event so much weight. To begin with, you classified these people as 'counter-protesters' when they were actually the protesters. In order to have a counter protest there has to be a protest to counter. Our event is not a protest — it is a celebration, no different than Canada Day, the Fourth of July or Cinqo de Mayo. We were having a party (for which we had all the required permits) and they were across the street protesting, chanting and defaming the thousands of people celebrating. While your reporters took pains to quote their chants, sadly we saw few citations from the thousands who gathered to celebrate. We should also note this celebration took place on May Day, when major cities around the world contend with general anarchy, physical destruction and violent clashes between police and a hodgepodge of activists that leave a wake of damage and expense to local businesses and governments. On the other hand, we celebrated on a weekday, with joy and revelry, left our spaces in better shape than they were when we arrived, and left a trail of nothing but smiles and warm greetings. Michael Druckman, co-chair of the Israel Day Celebration, Montreal Time to revisit transfer payments? If Bloc Québécois Leader Yves François Blanchet believes he is in an 'artificial country,' maybe Alberta should send 'artificial transfer payments.' Anthony Edwin Sura, Calgary Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
