Quebec has once again come to the defense of Maison Benoît-Labre, after Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called for the rapid closure of this day centre for the homeless, which doubles as a supervised consumption site, which has sparked controversy.
“Mr. Poilievre made his point. We, our government, have chosen to save lives,” declared the Minister responsible for Social Services, Lionel Carmant, on the sidelines of a press conference in Montreal on Monday.
The minister said, however, that he was aware of the issues of cohabitation around the site of the Maison Benoît-Labre (MBL), located a few metres from a primary school. The Press reported more than forty incidents around the center since its opening on April 15.
Two intervention agents were recently added to manage the exterior of the site. Lionel Carmant also committed to participating himself in the next cohabitation committee, in August, “to have clear expectations, with the school and the neighborhood, so that the work gets done.”
This is because the Legault government believes in the concept of supervised consumption centres, he urges.
“Public health tells us that the supervised consumption model saves lives. Already, in 2023, in Quebec, we lost more than 500 people to overdoses, but when we compare to Alberta, where they have actually slowed down [le dépliement] “In supervised consumption sites, we are talking about more than 1,700 deaths for a population of 4.5 million inhabitants,” he explains.
At his side, federal minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada did not have the same restraint, severely criticizing the approach of Pierre Poilievre, for whom Ottawa must close the MBL “to protect our families.”
“Coming from someone who aspires to the highest office, it is unacceptable to play politics on the backs of the most vulnerable and to think that a solution as simple as that will solve a problem as complex as homelessness,” declared the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve MNA.
Seven years for 15 rooms
The two elected officials were in this district on Monday morning to inaugurate a new rooming house for people at risk of homelessness, where 15 people can be accommodated. This represents an investment of nearly 5.9 million.
However, in the midst of a housing and homelessness crisis, it took seven years before the opening of this new rooming house located in a former heritage building in the neighborhood, the Madore building, we learned.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
The new resource is located at 1401 rue Dézéry, in a former heritage building.
“We must not forget that a building like the Madore has enormous construction challenges. Each case is unique,” explained Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada.
“It’s not magic, what we’re doing is complex, we’re in an urban environment,” insisted Jean-Pierre Racette, general director of the Société d’habitation populaire de l’Est de Montréal (SHAPEM).