Quebec women's shelters are asking the government to fast-track construction of more spaces
The Shield of Athena expansion project in Montreal is an answer to the high number of calls across the province from women in need.
"There's been a lot of demand for emergency shelters. We've had to expand," said Shield of Athena (SOAFS) executive director Melpa Kamateros.
For years, women's shelters like the Shield of Athena have been under immense pressure, but it's been particularly difficult recently.
"In the last 12 months, we've received over 53,000 calls," said SOS Violence Conjugale social worker Claudine Thibaudeau. "It's over double the number of calls that we used to get a few years ago."
The problem is that there isn't enough space at shelters, and that means some women have to call back as they try to flee a violent relationship.
"What's really troublesome for us is that when people ask for shelter, we've only been able to find shelter that has availability in about half of the situations," said Thibaudeau.
Opposition party Quebec solidaire is calling on the CAQ government to fast-track construction of women's shelters.
"There is existing projects of shelters that are ready to be constructed, but, unfortunately, it's blocked or it's not going very fast," said QS MNA Ruba Ghazal.
Ghazal said Quebec has the power to make it happen if a government decree is adopted.
"This has been done in the past, it can take 18 months," said Ghazal. "And even sometimes 13 to 14 months, so if the government have the want to construct them quickly. It's possible."
For years, Shield of Athena has been trying to get a second shelter built to help women fleeing violence transition to a better life.
"A project that should have taken a year has taken close to four years now, the actual construction part," said Kamateros.
Although the facility is almost complete, it can't come soon enough.
"We've been getting calls for the second step for the past two years continuously, and we keep on telling them it hasn't been built yet," Kamateros added.
In a statement, Quebec said it's had several meetings with shelters to find solutions, and the government has agreed to add one or more housing units to the project with certain organizations.
"Quebec will ensure that all projects are built as quickly as possible," the statement read.
"There also has to be a factor of flexibility and of quickness," said Kamateros. "It has to be quick. It has to respond to immediate needs."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch's own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.
NDP says Ottawa's new grocery task force isn't living up to government promises
The federal government says the task force it created to monitor and investigate grocery retailers' practices has not conducted any probes and doesn't have a mandate to take enforcement action.
A group of Toronto tenants have been on a rent strike for a year and say there's no resolution in sight
Dozens of tenants in Toronto's Thorncliffe Park area have now been withholding their rent for one year, and it’s unclear when the dispute will end.
U.K. police arrest man wielding a sword in east London, 5 people are taken to the hospital
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and two police officers on Tuesday in the east London community of Hainault before being arrested, police said.
Archeologists search for remnants of Halifax's 250-year-old wall that surrounded the city
Archeologist Jonathan Fowler is using ground-penetrating radar to search for historic evidence of the massive wall that surrounded Halifax more than 250 years ago.