Montreal residents outraged by planned homeless shelter near daycare, nuns’ residence
Global News
The City of Montreal is planning to create a new resource for the unhoused in Ahuntsic-Cartierville near daycares, schools, and a residence for nuns.
Montreal residents are ripping into city leadership, saying it’s ignoring their concerns while planning a new resource for homeless people.
This time, it’s happening in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, where the city recently announced plans for a 24-7 shelter in the middle of a residential neighbourhood just steps from a daycare and a residence for nuns.
“It’s a total disaster,” said local resident Rachel Rakhi. “It’s so non-democratic the way they have done it.”
She is one of hundreds of residents opposed to the recently-announced plan to create the resource for homeless people in an abandoned building on Bois-de-Boulogne Avenue. It will be able to accommodate up to 50 people, and the city says it should be operational by mid-August.
“It’s not that we don’t want to help these people, but this is not the right place,” said Rakhi.
In addition to the daycare there are several schools nearby. Sister Pierrette Bertrand of the Oblates Franciscaines de Saint-Joseph lives among other nuns in a building right next door.
“People are angry about how the decision was taken unilaterally,” she told Global News, saying many in the area have lost faith in city officials for imposing the project on them without consultation. She worries she’ll find people in crisis on her front porch.
The city held an information session on July 3rd where residents were able to ask questions, but the neighbourhood feels authorities have already made up their minds to go ahead.