Ville-Marie underpass encampment eviction set for June 16, another delay requested

Jacco Stuben has lived under the Ville Marie expressway for more than a decade.

On Monday, he got a letter to say that his taxes were done – it’s one step among many others to find him long-term housing with the help of local shelter Resilience Montreal.

But while the letters mark a step towards a new life for Stuben, a recent court decision to evict some fifteen campers on June 16 could make for a larger step back.

The area is owned by Quebec’s transport ministry, and there is construction work to do which the ministry argues will make the area unsafe.  

Their eviction has already been pushed back several times, but come next week, they will need to find somewhere else to live.

“It’s not easy.. what do you think? You think it's easy for somebody to move like that just because they're doing construction?” asked Stuben.

Executive Director of Resilience Montreal, David Chapman, is among those working to help Stuben find a permanent place to stay.

“The last thing we want right now is to have to go find the people who've vanished, in some distant location, so we can finish bringing them around to appointments to look at their new apartment,” said Chapman.

Jacco Stuben (left) reads a letter confirming his taxes have been completed beside Resilience Montreal Director David Chapman (right). Stuben has been living under the Ville-Marie Expressway in downtown Montreal for more than a decade. Chapman is trying to help him find a permanent place to live. (Sasha Teman, CTV News)

A legal team representing the campers is hoping to appeal the ruling and give them another month to find homes.

Although there is shelter space available, Chapman says most don’t accommodate couples, pets, or those dealing with substance abuse.

“The group here, if they're scattered … they will not head to the local shelters which make these exclusions,” he said.

Instead, “they'll be headed are isolated areas,” he said. “Perhaps a construction site, abandoned building, or forested area.”

With just days left before the move, the city says it’s willing to do what it can to help out.

“It has to be done in a very human way,” said Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante on Monday.

“We’re talking about people with different types of issues, and for us living in a tent is not an option.”

The transport ministry declined to comment for this story.