Parks Canada cancels camping event in Montreal amid criticism over unhoused people
Advocates for Montreal's homeless residents ramped up critiques of Parks Canada over the weekend, saying a series of local camping events the agency has scheduled throughout the summer set a double standard between those with financial means and those without.
The events, dubbed learn-to-camp, are described as an opportunity to learn basic camping skills for the price of $108.75 per tent along the Lachine canal in the city's west end.
"I laughed out of despair when I saw that," Annie Archambault, who works with a non-profit organization that helps Montreal's vulnerable populations, said in an interview on Sunday.
Archambault, of Rue action prévention jeunesse, said the initiative comes off as a bad joke as the city's authorities frequently dismantle encampments for the homeless erected on public land.
"It's insulting and ironic, we've been fighting for years against dismantling encampments for the homeless but the city has zero-tolerance," she said. "If you don't have money, you can't (camp) but for $108.75, you can."
Parks Canada posted a statement to its website cancelling the first event on Saturday without providing a reason for the move, but the same events scheduled for July 23, Aug. 13, 20, and 27 are still open for registration.
Parks Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Archambault said the remaining dates should be cancelled and the camping gear handed to groups that work with people without homes.
"It's not the activity itself that we're denouncing, but the irony of it and the location," Archambault said, adding Parks Canada lacked sensitivity in sending the message that public spaces are for people who can afford them.
Caroline Leblanc, a doctoral candidate in community health at Université de Sherbrooke who studies people experiencing homelessness, agreed.
"It's distasteful," Leblanc said in an interview on Sunday.
"Right now, there are several people living in the streets who have to deal with repression to find a spot where to go. It's a double standard. We promote Montreal as an inclusive city … some reflection needs to be done."
When asked about the criticism over the camping activity, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said last week the decision belonged to Parks Canada. She also reiterated the city's long-held stance that encampments are not a solution to homelessness.
"It's a question of dignity and safety; we will continue to discourage encampments," Plante told reporters on June 29.
For Leblanc, Parks Canada's initiative only mirrors a deeper issue.
"The question is not how Parks Canada could have done a better job, they were probably not ill-intentioned, it’s about not only the city but also the provincial government’s emergency response toward the housing crisis and the increase of people without homes," Leblanc said.
About 600 households were left without a home after the province's Jul. 1 moving day, according to a report released on Saturday by Quebec housing advocacy group Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain. About 420 renter households were without housing at the same time last year.
"We see nice camping of 15 tents on Lachine canal … why can't we do that type of thing," Leblanc said.
Leblanc stressed that dismantling encampments for the homeless is deeply taxing on unhoused people, urging officials to find solutions to secure Montreal's public space for everybody.
"Nobody wants to die in a tent, they want stability," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.