Quebec once again came to the defense of Maison Benoît-Labre after Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for the swift closure of this day center for the homeless, which is causing controversy along with a supervised consumption site.
However, the minister says he is aware of coexistence issues surrounding the Maison Benoît-Labre (MBL) site, which is located a few meters from a primary school. Pres More than forty incidents have been reported around the center since it opened on April 15.
Two intervention agents were recently added to manage the site’s exterior. Lionel Garmond, in August, committed himself to the next symbiotic group, “to have clear expectations with the school and the neighborhood, and the work will be done.”
Because the Legault government believes in the concept of supervised consumption centers, he promotes.
“Public health tells us that controlled consumption patterns save lives. Already, in 2023, in Quebec, we’ve lost over 500 people to drug overdoses, but compared to Alberta, they’re really slow. [le dépliement] Supervised consumption sites, we are talking about more than 1,700 deaths for a population of 4.5 million,” he explains.
For her part, federal minister Soraya Martínez Ferrada lacked the same restraint, sharply criticizing Pierre Poilivre’s approach, saying Ottawa should close the MBL “to protect our families.”
“From someone who aspires to high office, playing politics on the backs of the most vulnerable is unacceptable, and a simple solution like this would solve a problem as complex as the issue of homelessness,” the member declared. Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
Seven years for 15 rooms
The two elected officials were on hand Monday morning to open a new 15-person rooming house for people at risk of homelessness. This is an investment of nearly 5.9 million.
However, amid the housing and homelessness crisis, it took seven years for this new rooming house, located in the adjacent old heritage building Madore Building, to open, we learn.
Photo by Oliver Jean, The Press
The new resource is located at 1401 rue Dézéry, in an old heritage building.
“We must not forget that a building like Mador has enormous construction challenges. Each case is unique,” explained Minister Soraya Martínez Ferrata.
“It’s not magic, what we’re doing is complicated, we’re in an urban environment,” emphasized Jean-Pierre Racet, director general of the Société d’habitation populaire de l’est de Montréal (SHAPEM).
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