'We're not going to move the shelter': Quebec won't budge on Saint-Henri drug use site

It seems Quebec is steadfast in its plan to open a safe drug use site in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood.

"We need the shelter. We need the housing," Quebec Minister Responsible for Social Services Lionel Carmant reiterated Tuesday. "So, the question is: is it better to do it in the street or is it better to do it in a supervised environment?"

The minister argues the site is "right there," and despite the backlash from worried parents and businesses in the neighbourhood, there is no chance of moving it to another location.

"We're not going to move the housing. We're not going to move the shelter," said Carmant. "What we need to do is to make sure that the use of drugs is properly supervised."

Debate erupted after it was announced that a safe drug use site would open in Saint-Henri, less than 100 metres from an elementary school.

"I'm just a bit concerned that with the addition of this project, it's going to change things in the neighbourhood, and especially the safety for my kids," parent Matthew Szostak told CTV News earlier this month.

The Maison Benoît Labre is in charge of the project on Atwater Avenue, which would comprise 36 apartments for homeless people suffering from mental health and addiction issues.

"We need to have people talk: public health, the organization, the parents and the school to make sure that everything is in place properly," said Carmant in response to neighbourhood concerns. "We need to work with it more. We need to make people sit together and work together."

When asked whether Carmant's comments meant there was no room for change in the project, the Quebec Health and Social Services Ministry (MSSS) redirected concerns to Montreal public health.

In response, the CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal states it "has been working closely with the Maison Benoît Labre for several years on homelessness and overdose prevention issues in the Sud-Ouest borough."

It suggested CTV News contact the MSSS.

The site is slated to open in November.