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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.
Fashion Value Chain
26-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Value Chain
ASOS Boosts Supply Chain with Celonis Process Intelligence
In a strategic move to elevate operational agility and customer satisfaction, global fashion e-tailer ASOS has deepened its partnership with Celonis, a leader in process mining solutions. Leveraging Celonis' advanced Process Intelligence platform, ASOS is optimizing its end-to-end supply chain by driving transparency, minimizing delays, and speeding up time-to-market. 'ASOS exemplifies how retailers can harness process intelligence to drive transformative change,' said Rupal Karia, General Manager – UKI and MEA at Celonis. 'With Celonis, they can pinpoint inefficiencies and act on them in real-time, turning complexity into clarity across their value chain.' A Connected, Real-Time View of Operations Operating in a fast-paced retail environment where timely delivery is key, ASOS is using Celonis' object-centric process mining (OCPM) to connect its core supply chain functions—including procurement, logistics, warehousing, and returns—on a unified digital platform. This integration provides a granular, real-time view of supply chain performance from the moment an order is placed to the point it arrives at the customer's doorstep. 'With Celonis, we've unified our entire supply chain process, enabling real-time decisions, cross-functional alignment, and ultimately, faster deliveries,' said Laurence Moore, Head of Strategic Projects – Supply Chain, ASOS. Key Benefits Achieved: Full-Spectrum Supply Chain Visibility: ASOS can now track thousands of SKUs and shipments across the lifecycle—from purchase order creation to product putaway. This enhances visibility across functions and allows the brand to understand the ripple effects of operational bottlenecks. Returns & Carrier Optimization: Celonis enables ASOS to evaluate the performance of its third-party logistics providers, ensuring that service-level agreements (SLAs) are met. This has helped improve return processes and enhance customer experiences while reducing costs. Strategic Planning Through Insight: The platform supports data-driven decision-making for upstream activities like product planning, pricing strategies, and vendor investments. Meanwhile, real-time insights into downstream functions such as delivery performance and returns management allow ASOS to proactively communicate with customers—helping to reduce call center dependency and operational overhead. The Road Ahead: Expansion Across Functions Looking forward, ASOS plans to scale the application of Celonis beyond supply chain management to encompass areas like Purchase-to-Pay, Order Management, IT services, and warehouse operations. This expansion is part of ASOS' long-term digital transformation vision to drive operational excellence, control costs, and enhance the customer experience at scale.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Wellington Street will not be car-free year-round after report: Verdun mayor
Wellington Street is seen in the Montreal borough of Verdun Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) Borough mayor Marie-Andrée Mauger posted on her Facebook page that after a public consultation (OCPM) report, the strip of road from Regina Street to 6th Avenue will be pedestrianized for the summer only. A petition was launched in 2023, and the OCPM held consultations to decide whether cars would be banned throughout the year. 'At the borough council meeting on June 30, we will submit the borough's response to the OCPM's recommendations,' Mauger wrote. 'I have always seen this citizen request as a declaration of love for our iconic artery.' The OCPM made three other recommendations. Any future pedestrianization plans should be done based on 'up-to-date studies on the impacts and benefits of the project in terms of accessibility, mobility, commercial dynamics, collateral effects and costs.' 'These studies should take into account the specific urban morphology of the neighbourhood, as well as parking issues in the vicinity of commercial and service establishments,' the post reads. The commission also suggests that the borough consider other ways to reduce vehicle traffic on Wellington outside of the summer pedestrianization period and continue efforts to 'reduce the nuisances associated with the summer pedestrianization of Wellington Street.' Included in the post were council members Sterling Downey, Benoit Gratton, Kaïla A. Munro, Véronique Tremblay, Enrique Machado and Céline-Audrey Beauregard. The mayor will table the response to the commission's report on June 30.
Business Wire
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Celonis Recognized as a Leader for Third Consecutive Year in 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Process Mining Platforms
NEW YORK & MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Celonis, the global leader in Process Mining and Process Intelligence, today announced that it has been named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Process Mining Platforms for the third time. Celonis was placed in the Leaders' Quadrant, being positioned highest on the Ability to Execute axis and furthest on the Completeness of Vision axis once again. 'We believe this recognition is a testament to our pioneering product innovation, our system-agnostic Process Intelligence platform, and our impressive global partner network," said Alex Rinke, co-CEO and co-founder of Celonis. Share 'We are honored to be named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Process Mining Platforms for the third year in a row,' said Alex Rinke, co-CEO and co-founder of Celonis. 'We believe this recognition is a testament to our pioneering product innovation, our system-agnostic Process Intelligence platform, and our impressive global partner network. This recognition wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and commitment of our customers, partners and Celonauts. Looking ahead, what excites me most is the huge potential for Celonis to enable our customers to maximize the ROI from their AI investments.' 'Celonis gives us a strategic roadmap for AI. With the visibility provided by process intelligence, we can focus our AI efforts where they'll have the greatest impact on the business,' said Brian Dodson, Business Process Improvement Manager and Celonis Center of Excellence lead at Smurfit Westrock, a global leader in sustainable packaging. 'For example, with an AI copilot powered by Celonis and built on contextualized, harmonized business data, we're optimizing inventory management, boosting efficiency, and delivering greater value to our operations teams worldwide.' The Celonis Process Intelligence Platform utilizes its Process Intelligence Graph (PI Graph) and object-centric process mining (OCPM) to create a digital twin of the business operations. It provides the essential process knowledge and business context AI needs to be effective for the enterprise, empowering faster, more-informed decisions and impactful actions. Celonis enables companies to maximize the ROI of AI by: Identifying AI use cases with real business value Developing agents and copilots with AgentC integrations and APIs Using pre-built apps from partners powered by PI and AI. Intelligently orchestrating agents, end-to-end processes, alongside existing RPA bots or workflows Monitoring the business improvements delivered by AI and automation deployments Beyond the walls of a single company, Celonis extends process optimization across partner organizations through Celonis Networks, enabling shared process transparency and improvement across multi-enterprise processes like supply chains. To learn more about the latest innovations from Celonis and how they enable companies to realize value from their AI investments read this article Celonis named a Leader on 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant. Process Intelligence Platform fuels AI success and innovation. Notes to editors The 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant on Process Mining Platforms is available here. Find more information on Process Mining and the Celonis Process Intelligence Platform here. Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Process Mining Platforms, Tushar Srivastava, Marc Kerremans, David Sugden, 15 April, 2025. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, and MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About Celonis Celonis makes processes work for people, companies and the planet. The Celonis Process Intelligence Platform uses industry-leading process mining and AI technology and augments it with business context to give customers a living digital twin of their business operation. It's system-agnostic and without bias, and provides everyone with a common language for understanding and improving businesses. Celonis enables its customers to continuously realize significant value across the top, bottom, and green line. Celonis is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and New York City, USA, with more than 20 offices worldwide. © 2025 Celonis SE. All rights reserved. Celonis and the Celonis 'droplet' logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Celonis SE in Germany and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
CBC
14-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
OCPM urges Montreal to reassess controversial container yard expansion before approving
Montreal's public consultation commission is recommending the city postpone approving exemptions for a controversial container yard project slated for the city's east end and conduct a complete reassessment of the plan. But the city says that's easier said than done. The Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) was tasked with examining Ray-Mont Logistics' plan to turn 22,300 square metres of unused land into a transportation hub where goods will be sent via rail and road to the nearby Port of Montreal. The company anticipates 300,000 containers will eventually be moving through the site each year, resulting in the passage of up to 1,000 trucks through the industrial site, 24 hours a day. But to do that, some zoning changes are required. Initially, the city rejected the request to make those changes. The company sued for $373 million dollars, and ultimately settled out of court for $17 million and the condition that Montreal approve the zoning changes. A public consultation was called, leading to the OCPM's report, published Thursday, but that's not enough to stall the project, according to Sophie Mauzerolle, who is responsible for transportation on Montreal's executive committee. She said the city alone does not have the power to unilaterally suspend the out-of-court agreement. Suspension must be done in collaboration with Ray-Mont, she said. "Our goal is to quickly sit down with the company and the various partners identified in the recommendations to address them for the benefit of the local residents," Mauzerolle said. "Our goal is to close this chapter for lasting peace and quiet for the people of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve." Group applauds OCPM's decision A local group, calling itself Mobilisation 6600 Parc-Nature MHM, has been taking a stand against the project, organizing protests and voicing strong opposition to the expansion. The group is accusing the company of destroying two wooded areas and causing the neighbourhood to suffer from daily noise. On its Facebook page, the community group celebrated the OCPM's recommendations, and praised its members for participating in the consultation. "We're quite satisfied about the report," group member Cassandre Charbonneau-Jobin told CBC News. "It shows that our fight that has been going on for nine years is completely legitimate." WATCH | Why Ray-Mont's project has hit roadblocks over the years: Container yard expansion battle leaves Montreal at a crossroads 16 minutes ago Duration 2:57 In 2022, Quebec's Environment Ministry, after a temporary stop-work order, gave the first phase of the project the green light with some conditions, like limitations on working hours and number of containers that can move through the site annually. Ray-Mont sued and the ministry is now reviewing that request. "The modification request is being analyzed to ensure that such a change in operating hours will not result in noise emissions likely to harm human life, health, well-being or comfort," said Environment Ministry spokesperson Robert Maranda in an email. Ray-Mont still needs regulatory exemptions approved During the consultation, some organizations highlighted the positive economic benefits of the project, but the vast majority of participants, many of whom were local residents, voiced opposition to a project they say will impact their quality of life, the release says. The OCPM concluded that a complete reassessment should be conducted with key players, including the Ministry of Transport and Canadian National Railway. Taking this route is "the most advantageous for the city, citizens and the developer. It therefore invites stakeholders to sit down again and resume discussions," the OCPM says. The commission also recommends developing a buffer zone to reduce nuisances and subjecting the project to Quebec's environmental assessment process. It recommends clarifying the monitoring and control responsibilities as well as improving stakeholder and community consultation. Mauzerolle said her administration has always shared and loudly advocated for citizens' concerns about the nuisances caused by the project. In a news release, Philippe Bourke, president of the OCPM, acknowledged that, from the outset, this has been a highly sensitive case. In a later interview, he said the OCPM found a possible compromise between city and company. That compromise shows there "might be a place between the two sides where we could reopen the discussion," he said. Mario Paul-Hus, a Montreal lawyer who specializes in municipal law, said the city will likely have to adopt the zoning regulation changes or risk another lawsuit. Ray-Mont released a statement as well, saying it will analyze the OCPM's report and recommendations. Since coming to the site in 2016, Ray-Mont has been rehabilitating the heavily contaminated industrial property at its own expense to bring its activities closer to the Port of Montreal by establishing an intermodal logistics platform, the company says. "The platform has now been in operation since November 2022 and will ultimately enable the company to reduce its greenhouse gases by 82 per cent," it says.
