Mouvement Montreal releases action plan for Milton Park homeless population
New municipal political party Mouvement Montreal criticized the Plante administration Sunday for what it called a “lack of leadership” after recent developments in Milton Parc – where several homeless people spend their time.
A vacant, privately owned lot at Milton and Park Avenue was fenced off in recent days, pushing a group of unhoused people off of land they had come to call home.
“It really hurt me, because that was our place,” Annisee Papialuk, who has been living in the area for 18 years, told CTV news earlier this week.
Advocates have increased calls to the city to provide other living options for homeless people since the fence went up.
“They’re sitting on the sidewalk, passersby have to go into the street to get around them, people are sitting more in the doorways of businesses,” said John Tessier, coordinator for the Open Door Mission, on Friday.
“These people need a safe and dignified place to exist.”
In a press release, the party pledged to “support and advocate” on behalf of Montreal’s Indigenous communities, including residents of Milton Park – many of whom are Inuit and Cree.
“[We pledge to] work with owners of unused properties to establish social housing units specifically for the Indigenous community members living in Milton Parc,” read the release.
The party also pledged to reduce the speed limit on Parc Avenue between Pine and Sherbrooke Street, build an “Indigenous Welcome Space” by June of next year, and increase funding for local food and shelter organizations, among other promises.
“These policy promises are just the beginning. We will continue working with and advocating for the Indigenous community now and into the future.”
"We are closely monitoring the situation of people experiencing homelessness who are established in the Milton / Parc sector," wrote Mayor Valerie Plante's spokesperson in an email to CTV News.
"We have the safety and well-being of Indigenous people at heart and want to provide safe accommodation options."
Montreal has recently provided funding to convert a building on Saint-Hubert Street into a rooming house, and to expand capacity at the Native Women's Shelter with a second building in Little Burgundy.
RESIDENTS CALL SITUATION ‘DESPERATE’
“The homeless situation is desperate, frankly,” said Plateau resident Andree Deveault on Friday.
“They live in dire conditions … many residents are fully aware of this, and fully compassionate.”
Still, she says, groups of people sitting on the sidewalk can make it difficult to get around the city, especially those with mobility needs, such as elderly people.
What’s more, residents have safety concerns as people sit next to the busy roadway, or venture into traffic to ask for change.
“The money that has been spent on ambulances and police alone, you put it all together and a nice centre could have been built already,” said Deveault.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.