L'Itineraire celebrating 3 decades of sharing homeless Montreal stories
For 30 years, the magazine L'Itineraire has been telling stories about Montreal's homeless community.
What sets it apart is its commitment to reflect this community by giving those experiencing homelessness a platform for their stories and a way out of their situation.
As a magazine written by and for the homeless, the stories give readers a window into their world.
"It starts by expressing yourself. It starts by saying who you are and listening to those voices that have never been heard before," said L'Itineraire editor Josee Panet-Raymond. "Most of our vendors have gone through homelessness or are never far from homelessness, so you get the direct point of view, which is more accurate."
Joseph Clermont is a well-known vendor of the magazine in the village, and said L'Itineraire helped him when he fell on hard times more than 20 years ago.
As a vendor, he takes home $1.50 -- half the cost of the magazine -- for each sale. He says it not only helps him make a living but gives him self-esteem.
"L'Itineraire gave me my self-esteem back," he said. "And I love people and engaging with the public."
It was a lifeline for Panet-Raymond, who felt burned out after decades of working in news.
"I was ready for something different," he said.
L'Itineraire reinvigorated her passion for storytelling, and she, along with several staff journalists, helps edit the stories the vendors write.
Simon Bolduc, whose background is in social work, said the most important thing is to listen.
"I just try to enter into a real dialogue with them and to spot the stories behind their words," he said.
The non-profit has won several awards for its work, and recently, a special edition featured short stories by well-known authors such as Michel Tremblay, Heather O'Neill and Dominique Fortier, along with the vendors' stories.
Panet-Raymond said these kind of stories remain the heart of what they do, and it allows them to help people who walk through their door and get them to the resources they need.
"When they write, they sell their magazine and they have their articles in it, it's a great source of pride for them," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
Passenger killed, 30 injured as Singapore Airlines flight hits severe turbulence
One passenger was killed and 30 injured after a Singapore Airlines SIAL.SI flight from London hit severe turbulence en route on Tuesday, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, officials and the airline said.
Conservatives kick off return to House with new call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign
Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives returned to the House of Commons on Tuesday with a renewed call for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign, this time over 'very partisan' and 'inflammatory' language used to promote an upcoming event.
Trump campaign calls 'The Apprentice' 'blatantly false,' director offers to screen it for him
Donald Trump's reelection campaign called 'The Apprentice,' a film about the former U.S. president in the 1980s, 'pure fiction' and vowed legal action following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But director Ali Abbasi is offering to privately screen the film for Trump.
Feels like mid-30s in parts of Canada, while other areas expecting snow
Anything is possible this week, as far as Canada's weather is concerned, with forecasts ranging from scorching heat in some parts of the country to rain and snow in others.
Nestle to sell $5 pizza, sandwiches in the U.S. for Wegovy, Ozempic users
Nestle NESN.S will market a new, US$5 line of frozen pizzas and protein-enriched pastas in the United States which it says it designed specifically for people taking drugs such as Wegovy or Ozempic for weight loss.
How much more Canadian consumers are paying, compared to this time last year
Canada's annual inflation rate slowed to a three-year low of 2.7 per cent in April, matching expectations, and core measures continued to ease, data showed on Tuesday, likely boosting chances of a June interest rate cut.
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended war crimes charges in Israel-Hamas war
Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended that the chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes court seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of the militant Hamas group.
Flight PS752 victims' families say they're not sorry to hear of Iran president death
Members of a Canadian group representing families of those killed when Iranian officials shot down Flight PS752 in January 2020 say they are not sorry to hear of the death of Iran's president.