Latest news with #ÉricAlanCaldwell
CBC
19-06-2025
- CBC
STM revives loitering ban in Montreal Metro to help improve safety
Social Sharing Montreal's transit agency announced Wednesday it is reintroducing a ban on loitering in the city's Metro system to increase safety for commuters and employees. The measure starts Wednesday and will be in place until April 30, 2026. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) said the decision to bring it back was made following positive results of a six-week pilot project in early spring. At the time, the STM cited increased safety concerns in the Metro linked to rising homelessness, criminal activity and public drug use. "Why we're coming back with that move-along order is because it works. It works for our clients, for our employees." said Éric Alan Caldwell, the STM's board chair, at a news conference on Wednesday. Decrease in crime during pilot project, STM says The STM provided data in a news release showing improvements in safety for the month of April, compared to the same month last year. Crime and offences were down two per cent, while assaults on employees dropped 20 per cent. The STM also noted 30 per cent fewer service disruptions and 17 per cent fewer people being escorted out of the Metro at closing time. Meanwhile, the STM has said that addressing safety concerns has come at a cost, with $11 million invested to hire more staff, such as special constables who are trained to help direct people to the proper resources when leaving the Metro. There's also a hidden cost in lost revenue, as people cancel trips because they feel unsafe. The STM estimates that number could be as high as $1.2 million per month. Caldwell said, however, that by improving security, the STM can refocus on its primary mission, which is to provide safe and reliable public transit. Groups working with unhoused people in Montreal said they understand the situation, but the measures don't really solve the problem. Better solutions needed In a news release, the Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), said the ban is exacerbating the situation for many vulnerable people because it's being implemented amid a housing crisis and at a time when community organizations are overwhelmed. While RAPSIM said that Metro users' perceived sense of security may have improved during the pilot project, the safety of people experiencing homelessness has been compromised. "Several outreach workers reported losing contact with people with whom they had established a relationship of trust," said RAPSIM director Annie Savage. RAPSIM added that women are especially impacted by the ban, as they often try to conceal their situation and seek out crowded places, like the Metro, for safety reasons. "These spaces offer them relative protection from harassment, intimidation, theft and street violence, to which they are particularly exposed," the release reads. Caldwell acknowledged that the ban on loitering wasn't a "magic solution," and that community organizations and the health network need more resources. Over the course of the next year, the STM will continue to collect data on the impacts of the ban. Caldwell said he believes it will help highlight the needs of its different partners and how to better answer those needs. He reiterated, however, that the Metro can't be a shelter. "We will intervene and we will offer to the people that we are asking to move along if they need help, if they need to get to specific resources and how can we help them get there," Caldwell said. "We will often organize transport so that they get there." RAPSIM, however, is urging the STM to consider alternative solutions and pointed to a project in Philadelphia where a subway station was transformed into drop-in centre for people experiencing homelessness. "This type of approach helps raise public awareness and create inclusive spaces. Rather than displacing homeless people outside, we offer them a local response that facilitates their recovery," Savage said.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- CTV News
Anti-loitering order back in effect in Montreal's metro
Cyclists can now bring their bikes on REM trains until July 4, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Loitering is once again banned from Montreal's metro network, and the 'move-along' order will be in place until the end of April 2026, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced Wednesday. The STM said the measures, which were in place for six weeks in the spring, yielded positive results regarding safety and maintenance. But advocates for the homeless population say it could harm those who have nowhere else to go. The rules 'led to a noticeable increase in the sense of safety among both customers and employees, as well as a reduction in service interruptions caused by disruptive behaviour,' said Éric Alan Caldwell, chair of the STM board of directors in a news release. He said that reimplementing the measures in the summer will give the city time to plan for the winter months when some homeless people take refuge from the cold in metro stations. 'We recognize, however, that this is not an ideal solution. The real solution will be a tangible and sustainable response to help the vulnerable, including more funding for resources, all year long,' said Caldwell. The STM said 'physical measures,' mainly partitioning off access to certain areas and making open spaces smaller, will be in place at eight stations: Charlevoix Peel Places-des-Arts Beaudry Pie-IX Bonaventure Place-d'Armes Côte-Vertu The STM's anti-loitering rules were implemented mid-March after a reported surge in service interruptions and criminal behaviour, including drug use, that led to some customers feeling less safe in the metro. During the six-week period when the anti-loitering order was in effect from March to April, crimes and offences went down by two per cent, people being escorted out at closing time went down by 17 per cent, there was a 30 per cent reduction in service disruptions, and the reported sense of safety went up by eight points (all compared to April 2024), according to the STM's report. Impact on homeless population By bringing back and extending the move-along order, the STM wants to collect more data on the impact of anti-loitering orders on its operations and 'maintain stability' and hygiene standards. Advocates for Montreal's homeless population say they are worried the measure will only increase their vulnerability. The Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM)'s director, Annie Savage, said intervention workers reported losing contact with people with whom they had built a trusting relationship. 'In the long term, these measures undermine essential prevention and support efforts carried out by the community, contributing to increased vulnerability and need among people experiencing homelessness,' she said in a statement. The RAPSIM said women will be the most impacted by the STM's order, since many of them hide in the metro to conceal their homelessness and feel safer in busy areas. 'These spaces offer them relative protection from harassment, intimidation, theft and street violence, to which they are particularly exposed,' they said. The STM has said it wants to refer homeless people who spend time in the metro network to appropriate resources, like Mission St. Michaels. But RAPSIM says those are stretched thin and are often overflowing which means people will simply be displaced. Savage says the STM is losing an opportunity to put its resources toward inclusive resources by instead using a chunk of its budget to increase surveillance and security. She pointed to an initiative in Philadelphia, which turned a metro station into a shelter where people can rest, have coffee, do their laundry and receive essential care. The STM stressed that the move-along order will not be applied systematically and its special constables will take several factors into consideration during interventions to avoid tension. In its report, the STM requested Montreal open 24/7 high-threshold resources near Berri-UQAM and Bonaventure stations, increase funding for Mission St. Michaels services and ensure emergency accommodations from early November to late April 'for more sustainable solutions.'
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
STM strike could disrupt Montreal Metro and bus service for several days
Maintenance workers with Montreal's public transit service are planning to strike this month, leading to service disruptions outside of rush hour on both the bus and Metro lines. Quebec's labour tribunal ruled that workers with the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) can go on strike from June 9 at 12 a.m. to June 17 at 11:59 p.m. The union representing the workers, the Syndicat du transport de Montréal-CSN, and the STM agreed to provide essential services only during peak hours and late in the evening on June 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17. There will be extended service periods on June 12 and full service over Canadian Grand Prix weekend from June 13 to June 15, when the city sees a significant increase in traffic. The president of the union says the exception for Grand Prix weekend is due to security reasons and not because they're trying to appease the Formula 1 clientele. "They sell about 100,000 tickets each day for the Grand Prix," said Bruno Jeannotte. "So, considering that we're talking about 100,000 trips between Île Sainte-Hélène and downtown Montreal, if there's an emergency on the island or whatever, we have no choice but to be ready to react." Speaking at an unrelated news conference Tuesday, Mayor Valérie Plante said she was relieved the Grand Prix weekend had been spared of service disruptions, adding that she hopes both parties in the dispute come to a solution quickly so as to not penalize commuters. The union, which represents 2,400 maintenance workers at the STM, has been negotiating with the STM for over a year, asking for better working conditions like better schedules, and to scale back on outsourcing. Jeannotte says negotiations are still underway and could even continue during the strike, adding they're not aiming for an unlimited strike. "We're willing to negotiate certain points but not on the issue of subcontracting or privatizing the STM's public systems," he said. Éric Alan Caldwell, the chair of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), Speaking alongside Plante, STM board chair Éric Alan Caldwell said the agency will hold a news conference Wednesday to address service disruptions during the strike. "We're working to have the best agreement for our workers but also for the financial health of public transit in order to maintain demand and see it grow," he said. "We're dealing with a situation where we have to fit into the money that is available for transit and that's why [there's] negotiations on both parts." On its website, where the transit plan for next week is outlined, the STM says its users should plan accordingly and encourages them to use active modes of transportation to get by or to work from home. Over the weekend, the union representing the STM's bus drivers, Metro operators, station attendants and adapted transit drivers also voted in favour of a strike. The union has been re-negotiating its collective agreement with the STM which expired in January and is making similar demands to the maintenance workers, as well as a salary increase. "This negotiation is part of something bigger, which is really the public transit funding crisis," said Plante. STM service limited to rush hour and late evenings on June 9, 10, 11, 16 and 17: Metro: • 6:30 a.m. to 9:38 a.m. • 2:45 p.m. to 5:48 p.m. • 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Bus: • 6:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. • 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. • 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. STM service offered on June 12, the eve of Canadian Grand Prix weekend: Metro: • 6:30 a.m. to 10:38 a.m. • 2:45 p.m. to 6:48 p.m. • 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Bus: • 6:15 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. • 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. • 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding
The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro station earlier this week will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal's public transit authority in the near future, it says, due to a lack of funding. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's spring budget in a news release, saying that for the third year in a row, the government had not allocated any new funding for infrastructure maintenance or universal accessibility. According to the STM, maintenance funding is actually set to decrease by $258 million over the next three years. "This is a worrying situation that jeopardizes the reliability and safety of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM board of directors, in the release. "This is all the more worrying given that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportion of STM assets in poor condition has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it be tunnels, stations or our MR-73 trains." Caldwell said that without the necessary funding, the STM can't launch projects to both maintain its infrastructure and build elevators. Elevator installation work that is already underway at the Berri-UQAM Metro station on the Yellow line and Édouard-Monpetit on the Blue line, will continue. The $7-million elevator project at Atwater means it is now the 30th of 68 stations in the Metro network to become universally accessible. WATCH| Transit funding not a top priority in provincial budget: Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disability advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said he welcomed the addition in such a "pivotal" station but laments the pause on future projects. He said the onus is often put on people with disabilities or people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, to justify the need for more accessibility, when in fact, it benefits everyone. "Let's just say you have an accident and you have a broken leg, well you can at least have an elevator to take you [to the] subway station," he said. "It's important ... it helps everyone." Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, used as an alternative to riding the subway, is a good one, but he says it still has its limitations. "You have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance so that if you have an emergency, there's nothing you can do about it," Laperrière said. Then you need to know your departure time and your return time which requires a lot of planning, and the service isn't always on time, he added. "What we're asking is for the complete accessibility of the subway system," he said. While the transit agency was aiming to make 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it now says, is unlikely to be reached. Despite the setback, Laperrière is still hopeful it can become a reality. RAPLIQ is awaiting a decision on a 2017 class-action lawsuit it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain. The organization argued that the lack of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory. With hearings on the matter over since December 2023, a decision should be forthcoming, says Laperrière. "It's kind of long, but at the end of the day, I guess everybody understands because it's a huge decision," he said. "It's going to be historical, whatever the decision is." CBC News reached out to Quebec's Transport Ministry for comment, but did not hear back prior to publication.
CBC
19-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
STM won't be adding more elevators to Metro stations, for now, citing lack of funding
The elevators inaugurated at the Atwater Metro station earlier this week will be the last universal accessibility project taken on by Montreal's public transit authority in the near future, it says, due to a lack of funding. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) pointed to Quebec's spring budget in a news release, saying that for the third year in a row, the government had not allocated any new funding for infrastructure maintenance or universal accessibility. According to the STM, maintenance funding is actually set to decrease by $258 million over the next three years. "This is a worrying situation that jeopardizes the reliability and safety of the network," said Éric Alan Caldwell, chairman of the STM board of directors, in the release. "This is all the more worrying given that the Annual Infrastructure Management Plan (PAGI) confirms that the proportion of STM assets in poor condition has jumped from 23 per cent to 39 per cent, whether it be tunnels, stations or our MR-73 trains." Caldwell said that without the necessary funding, the STM can't launch projects to both maintain its infrastructure and build elevators. Elevator installation work that is already underway at the Berri-UQAM Metro station on the Yellow line and Édouard-Monpetit on the Blue line, will continue. The $7-million elevator project at Atwater means it is now the 30th of 68 stations in the Metro network to become universally accessible. WATCH | Transit funding not a top priority in provincial budget: Public transit 'losing ground' in Quebec as provincial budget focuses on other priorities 23 days ago Duration 2:08 Steven Laperrière, general manager of the disability advocacy group Regroupement des activistes pour l'inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ), said he welcomed the addition in such a "pivotal" station but laments the pause on future projects. He said the onus is often put on people with disabilities or people who use wheelchairs and other mobility devices, to justify the need for more accessibility, when in fact, it benefits everyone. "Let's just say you have an accident and you have a broken leg, well you can at least have an elevator to take you [to the] subway station," he said. "It's important ... it helps everyone." Laperrière acknowledges that STM's paratransit system, used as an alternative to riding the subway, is a good one, but he says it still has its limitations. "You have to reserve at least 24 hours in advance so that if you have an emergency, there's nothing you can do about it," Laperrière said. Then you need to know your departure time and your return time which requires a lot of planning, and the service isn't always on time, he added. "What we're asking is for the complete accessibility of the subway system," he said. While the transit agency was aiming to make 41 stations accessible by 2030, that target, it now says, is unlikely to be reached. Despite the setback, Laperrière is still hopeful it can become a reality. it initiated against the STM, the City of Montreal, the Autorité régionale de transport métropolitain and Réseau de transport métropolitain. The organization argued that the lack of wheelchair accessibility on subways and trains is discriminatory. With hearings on the matter over since December 2023, a decision should be forthcoming, says Laperrière. "It's kind of long, but at the end of the day, I guess everybody understands because it's a huge decision," he said. "It's going to be historical, whatever the decision is."
