Police, fire department begin shutdown of Montreal's tent city for homeless

Montreal’s tent city dismantled Police and firefighters moved in on Montreal’s homeless encampment after a weekend fire made the situation untenable.

MONTREAL — City officials began the process of dismantling a homeless camp in a park along Notre-Dame Street in east-end Montreal on Monday morning.

Montreal police and the fire department began the operation after the city's fire chief ordered the emergency evacuation of the camp on Sunday following a weekend fire.

The city said there have been several fires on the site, and fire officials say they took action to ensure the safety of the camp's occupants, identifying a number of dangers on the site, including flammable materials.

“We're trying to work with them. To take a human approach,” said Louise Desrosiers of the Montreal fire department.

Protesters were at the site as more than 100 police officers were on hand for the operation.

No one was injured in Saturday's fire, but it almost ignited a nearby propane tank, raising fears of a dangerous explosion.

The camp, near the Port of Montreal, has been in place for several months and at one point had more than 150 people living there.

“It was unsafe, and it has been unsafe for some time. It wasn't just because of the fire that it suddenly became unsafe,” said Sam Watts of the Welcome Hall Mission.

Police began massing near the tent city before dawn on land owned by the provincial government, with patrol cars and officers on bicycles and horseback visible on television footage from the scene.

One resident said he found a social housing unit.

“It's a good news for me to finish. But it's not the same news for everyone… everyone here deserves to be treated like a human. It's the city's responsibility,” he said.

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said the province and the federal government need to provide more funding for social housing.

“At some point there's a limit as to what a city can do. I don't have the money, I don't have the power to build. It comes from a team effort,” she said.

Officials say residents can either move on to the local YMCA or the Place Dupuis shelter, which is overseen by the Welcome Hall Mission.

“Our role here at the mission is to act,” said Watts. “It's to say what do we do with vulnerable people, we try to help them the best we can.”

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 7, 2020. With reporting from CTV News Montreal's Billy Shields