Montreal city council votes against declaring state of emergency on homelessness
CTV
Montreal’s city council voted against a motion to have the city declare a state of emergency on homelessness on Monday night.
Montreal’s city council voted against a motion to have the city declare a state of emergency on homelessness on Monday night.
Independent councillor Craig Sauve presented the motion, saying that the homeless crisis has been evident in Montreal for a decade due to many social issues as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and drug dependence, notably opioids such as fentanyl.
“People are scared,” Sauve said in City Hall during the council meeting. “They’re scared for others. They’re worried, the community groups are extremely worried, and people want to see a plan, and they want to know that people are going to be alright this winter.”
Fellow independent councillor Serge Sasseville accused the CAQ government of Francois Legault of being asleep at the wheel, arguing a state of emergency would require urgent action by the province.
Sasseville said in August that he no longer felt safe in the city after his house and property was vandalized.
"I lost my sense of security at my house, and it's really a big problem now in downtown Montreal,” he told CTV News at the time. “The authorities have lost complete control of all over what is going on downtown. It's dirty, it's violent. There are roadblocks everywhere. It's a nightmare. Something has to be done."
Sauve added that three times more homeless people are dying than three years ago, according to the Quebec coroner’s office.
