Federal housing advocate pushes back against Quebec plans to dismantle homeless encampment - Action News
Home WebMail Friday, December 13, 2024, 01:41 AM | Calgary | -4.9°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Montreal

Federal housing advocate pushes back against Quebec plans to dismantle homeless encampment

Quebec's Transport Ministry says people living under Route 136 in downtown Montreal will have to leave over the next few weeks. The federal government's housing advocate wants a moratorium on forced evictions.

'Forced evictions of encampments are a violation of human rights,' says Marie-Jose Houle

camping tents and recycling bags under the Ville-Marie Expressway
The homeless encampment in downtown Montreal, seen here in a photo from last November, needs to be torn down in order for construction work to be done on route 136, Quebec's Transport Ministry says. (Douglas Gelevan/CBC )

The federal government'shousingadvocateis urging Quebec to hold off on dismantling homeless encampmentsin Montreal, including a popular one located under a highway downtown.

Quebec's Transport Ministry says major work is needed on Route136 between the Turcot Interchange and the Ville-Marie Tunneland it can't be completed if people continue to live under the structure.

If the people don't leave voluntarily, the ministry says it will have to force them.

"The campsite that is underneath Route 136 is located on property owned by the ministry, which is now a construction zone," said Sarah Bensadoun, a spokesperson with the Transport Ministry.

"It is not safe for us to do the work while keeping the campers on site."

Last year, Marie-Jose Houle was appointed as Canada's first housing advocate, which is a nonpartisan role. Part of her job is to recommendimprovements to the country's housing laws.

Marie-Jose Houle was named Canada's first housing advocate in 2022, and advises the federal government on housing laws. (Kristy Nease/CBC)

On Wednesday, Houle took to Twitter and wrote"forced evictions of encampmentsare a violation of human rights."

"Evictions increase risks to people's health and safety due to isolation, exposure, overdose, and violence," Houle wrote.

"As I undertake a nationwide review of homeless encampments, I want to stress that all levels of government have obligations to promote and protect the human rights ofencampment residents."

The province's Transport Ministry was planning to move in and force people to leave the encampment.Faced with public pressure, however, the ministry postponed the eviction.

Advocates for people experiencing homelessness have said that until governments provide people with a permanent place to stay, they should not move in and tear down encampments.

There are also concerns that if the residents of the campdisperse, community groups will have a harder time finding and helping them.

Bensadoun says the ministry is working with the city,local health authorities and community groups to assist those who need to relocate.

She says the construction work will ramp up as the weather gets warmer, and the people living under route 136 have a few more weeks to move.

With files from Chlo Ranaldi, Brennan Neill and Kristy Rich