Elderly and vulnerable people living in HLM without electricity for 5 days in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve feel they are not prioritized by Hydro-Québec.
These poor, elderly and sometimes disabled clients are completely unprepared in the heart of Montreal.
• Read more: Blizzard: Fewer than 35,000 Hydro-Québec customers to be reconnected
“Frankly, it’s been a long time. First, it is [aurait dû] Old people, be us! Danielle De Courcy, who lives in HLM Adélard-Langevin, condemns her husband for not using her legs.
At 9 p.m. last night, his 69-unit building was one of the last subscribers in the neighborhood to get power back after last Wednesday’s snowstorm.
In the column record, This morning, several residents waited near the main entrance and the community hall to observe, among other things, the Hydro-Québec trucks parked in front of the apartment building.
“It’s misery!” exclaimed 89-year-old Jean-Paul Menard. I walk with a scarf and woolen socks on my feet so that I don’t catch a fever.”
Olivier Faucher / JTM
Met at HLM Adélard-Langevin in his apartment, darkened by the prolonged outage since Thursday, resident Jean-Paul Ménard poses in front of some of the food he left to eat.
A priority?
A few days ago, Hydro-Québec announced that CHSLDs, nursing homes and hospitals will be reconnected as a priority. Were HLMs also part of these priorities by elderly and indigent clients?
“On Restoring Low-Income Housing, [nous] For example, we will restore the HLM after an RPA, but before a residential sector,” explained Hydro-Québec’s spokesperson Francis Lebay.
“In this case, it’s a rupture affecting an underground network; a conduit would have collapsed, which is the main task to be accomplished,” said Mr. Labe pointed out. The generator was installed yesterday evening, the time to carry out this work.
Pierre Lessard-Blais, mayor of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, declined our interview request. “The borough is monitoring the situation closely and is offering its full cooperation to Hydro-Québec and OMHM,” said borough spokesman Vincent Fortin.
It was not possible to speak to a representative at the Office Municipal d’Habitation de Montréal (OMHM).
Monique Bélisle, head of HLM’s residents’ group, did not hide her anger at the delays being dragged out to reconnect her neighbors yesterday morning.
“If we get priority, it doesn’t look like it! She curses. I think it will take longer.”
Olivier Faucher / JTM
Monique Bélisle, president of HLM’s residents group, eats pizza brought in by citizens helping HLM.
Mme Belisle believes the vulnerability of dozens of HLM residents is not being taken seriously enough.
“There are a lot of people here who are sick and have limited mobility,” he underlines, also stressing their precarious financial situation.
“Cost me $400”
“We had to order food and throw food in our fridge. We only have our pension, so we can’t do that for a long time.
“It will cost me about $400. Is there anyone who will pay us?” M asksme Belisle.
By showing his house darkened by brokenness, Jean-Paul Ménard shows what to eat: a few cans, a cold pizza and cups of fruit.
“I ate junk food,” he said, pointing to a can of tomato pasta. “I ate the sugarcane without heating it,” he said.
Consumed by the cost of food, he wonders how he will be able to collect everything that has been dumped in the fridge. “The amount I have every month is just to pay my rent and my things. I can’t do anything else,” he said.
Citizens to the rescue
Fortunately, the residents were able to count on the generosity of many citizens who brought them food and coffee, and offered the residents the opportunity to do a lot of laundry in their homes.
Olivier Faucher / JTM
Good Samaritan citizen Claude Ducharme delivers pizza brought by citizens helping HLM to Jean-Paul Ménard.
Among them, Claude Ducharme is surprised by the lack of assistance provided by the city and the office municipal d’habitation de Montréal.
“Why do I take the building under my supervision? he asks. There is a flaw somewhere. It should have been taken more seriously as a situation.
According to him, the assistance provided by the metropolis forced residents to move to one of the thermal shelters, while many have mobility problems or refuse to abandon their pets in the cold.
For Jean-Paul Ménard, he had no problem leaving his two parrots alone, which they had been trying to warm up since Thursday. “It’s the only thing I’ve got since my wife died in 2020,” he breathes.
“Music geek. Coffee lover. Devoted food scholar. Web buff. Passionate internet guru.”
