Parents outraged after homeless man allegedly spits on a 3-year-old near daycare

Some parents in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough are worried after a homeless man allegedly attacked a 3-year-old child while he was on his way to daycare located next to a homeless shelter.

The homeless man now faces charges of assault related to the incident.

The child's mother, who has asked to remain anonymous, said her son was on his bike in front of her when he stopped outside the CAP St-Barnabé homeless shelter.

She recounted that a man sleeping on the sidewalk began screaming at her son.

"And he starts yelling and threatening him, that he was going to spit on him," the mother said and added that the man hurled profanities at her son.

By the time she caught up with her son, she said the damage was already done.

"My child is like crying, like bawling his eyes out a crying, asking me, why this man yelled at him and that he spat on him."

She said her son's hoodie was covered in spit marks.

The mother subsequently filed a complaint with the police.

The man was quickly arrested, and his address is listed as CAP St-Barnabé, though the shelter would not confirm the information, citing privacy reasons.

The building on Hochelaga Street became a temporary emergency shelter during the pandemic. It serves nearly 200 homeless people every day. It is one of the largest shelters in Montreal.

Montreal City councillor and executive committee member responsible for homelessness Robert Beaudry called the incident "unacceptable."

He noted that the city is working to find a permanent solution for the CAP St-Barnabé shelter.

"Right now, we didn't find the permanent solution, but we work with the government of Quebec and the organization, and because we know it can't be there for long, they need permanent infrastructure, and we want to do it in a proper way," he said.

In an email sent to CTV News, CAP St-Barnabé's Director Michelle Patenaude said "Cap St-Barnabé is committed to staying in the community, and we will continue to do what we do best—providing essential services to individuals experiencing homelessness who reside in our facilities."

In recent months, there has been growing outrage over other shelters opening near schools and daycares.

In this case, the mother hopes Quebec moves ahead with a law prohibiting that.

The daycare, le Jardin Charmant, refused to comment on the situation.