Motel St-Jacques raided: Montreal police call it a hotbed for sex work, drugs and violence
Residents of Montreal's Motel St-Jacques have been given a week and a half to leave following a major police raid Thursday.
Montreal police say for years, the hotel was a hotbed for sex work, drugs and violence.
"We were in there for two hours, and in one room there were four people who were completely out of it," said Montreal police commander Stephane Desroches.
The raid caught residents by surprise.
"They turned around, saw me in my window and started telling us to come out," said resident Angela Michelle."They handcuffed me."
Police arrested the motel's owner on drug allegations.
Investigators say the location is well known to police, and in the last year alone, there have been three deadly fentanyl overdoses.
Motel St-Jacques in Notre-Dame-de-Grace (CTV News/Kelly Greig)Desroches said about 10 women are sex workers there.
Motels can be safer for sex workers because there are other people nearby, said Sandra Wesley, who works with advocacy group Stella.
Wesley called this a warning to hotel owners.
"If you're not reporting sex workers, we'll assume you're tolerating it, and you're benefitting from it, and [police] might come after you. Up until now, that hadn't happened; no motel operators had been arrested," she said. "Up until Motel St-Jacques. I think part of this and part of why it's so huge as an operation and so public is because the SPVM wants to send a threatening message."
Those living there now have a week and a half to leave permanently as the building has been turned over to the courts.
"We have to offer support to people in this situation," said Desroches.
Since Thursday, organizations like the local health board have been going door to door to offer services.
Some of the residents say the bust means they'll likely end up homeless.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Are you proud to be Canadian? Poll suggests that feeling is dwindling
A new poll suggests the vast majority of Canadians are proud of their home and native land, but our sense of national pride is lower than it was a few years ago.
More WestJet flight cancellations as strike hits tens of thousands of travellers
WesJet flight cancellations grew to over 800 Sunday afternoon, upending plans for close to 100,000 passengers as an unexpected strike by plane mechanics entered its third day on the busiest travel weekend of the season.
Neighbour on the hook for $3,675 in damages due to ‘nuisance cedar’: B.C. tribunal
A B.C. man who reneged on a deal to split the cost of removing a tree with his next-door neighbour is now on the hook for the whole amount, B.C.’s civil resolution has ruled.
Multiple people injured in RV police chase in Lloydminster: RCMP
Several people were injured Saturday night after a man allegedly stole an occupied RV during a police chase at a campground in Lloydminster.
A study identified 6 types of depression. Here’s why that matters
Scientists may be a step closer to that reality, thanks to new research that has identified six subtypes — or 'biotypes' — of major depression via brain imaging combined with machine learning.
B.C.'s Michael J. Fox joins Coldplay on stage at Glastonbury Festival
A crowd of around 100,000 people were treated to a surprise appearance from a B.C. star during Coldplay’s set at Glastonbury Festival in England this weekend.
Nude beach etiquette: Lose your clothes, not your manners
Most of us have felt the freedom and delight that comes with stripping down to a swimsuit on a sunny day and wading into a cool sea, the horizon twinkling in the distance.
Canada Day is forecast to be rainy for many this year. Here's a look at weather and fireworks celebrations
Canada turns 157 years old this year, and several fireworks shows across the country are expected to paint the night skies in celebration. Here's a look at the forecast and fireworks celebrations across the country for Canada Day in 2024.
Police seek suspect, probe suspected hate crimes after two Toronto synagogues vandalized
Toronto police say they're investigating a pair of suspected hate-motivated offences after two city synagogues were damaged early Sunday morning.