Montreal city councillors table motion to declare state of emergency on homelessness

MONTREAL — A pair of independent Montreal city councillors have tabled a motion to get the city to declare a state of emergency on homelessness next week.

The motion calls on the city to usher in a host of measures including requisitioning private accommodation spaces to shelter the unhoused before winter comes and allocating more resources to shelters.

Craig Sauvé, one of the councillors behind the motion, says Montreal needs to step up to protect the lives of its growing homeless population as shelters scramble to accommodate the city’s unhoused.

Community group Resilience Montreal says declaring a state of emergency may help homeless shelters put a roof over more people’s heads and prevent people from dying in the cold.

A City of Montreal spokesperson says other measures are better suited to addressing the problem than declaring a state of emergency, such as building more modular housing units.

If Montreal did back the motion, it would join a growing list of cities across Canada that have declared a state of emergency on homelessness in recent years, including Toronto, Edmonton and Hamilton, Ont.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 16, 2024.

Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press