The development of a Christmas village at Place Émilie-Gamelin has caused an exodus of homeless people who are used to hanging out in the area. For some, the fences that prevent access to the site during the day are intended to exclude already ostracized people, while others welcome the revitalization of this downtown park.
Place Émilie-Gamelin has long been the favorite place of many homeless people, and this is even more true since the start of the pandemic, especially because the Place Dupuis hotel, just next door, has was temporarily transformed into a refuge last winter. The contrast was therefore striking on Wednesday morning: the park was completely deserted, and the surrounding streets were much less crowded than usual.
“All these events, like the Christmas village, officially aim for better cohabitation between marginalized populations and the rest of the population,” explains professor at the School of Social Work at UQAM Jade Bourdages. “Except that this cohabitation always takes place to the detriment of people experiencing homelessness, because they are invisible to the rest of the public. And when we no longer see them, we no longer see the problem, ”she explains.
Mme Bourdages understands that parks can hold events for the general public to improve their image, but recalls that this simply has the effect of transferring problems related to homelessness elsewhere in the city. However, that the homeless are more eccentric and dispersed on the territory is not necessarily a good omen, according to her.
Positive
Since the Christmas village opened its doors last weekend, the shelters near Place Émilie-Gamelin have indeed observed an increase in ridership. “We have never had so many people. It’s always like that when there are activities at Émilie-Gamelin, but this year, it’s worse. Since we reopened the heat stop, the 1er December, we must have between 50 and 75% increase in ridership compared to normal ”, specifies Chantal Laferrière, general manager of Mission St-Michael, one of the only Montreal shelters to admit people in a state of consumption .
This cohabitation always takes place to the detriment of people experiencing homelessness.
Even though she struggles to deliver on demand, Mme Laferrière is in favor of the organization of major events at Place Émilie-Gamelin. Even she finds that this has the effect of pushing homeless people to go to appropriate resources rather than staying in the park all day.
“Even if we are overwhelmed, I prefer to see them here rather than in the park in the middle of winter, especially since there are a lot of cases of frostbite. Here, they can eat their fill and they have access to all kinds of services, such as a nurse at all times, ”reasoned the general manager of Mission St-Michael, which is located near the Quartier des spectacles.
Difficult revitalization
The Plante administration has given its assent to the presence of barriers preventing entry to the site in broad daylight, “in accordance with sanitary protocols”. As for the organization, we advance rather that these fences are necessary to protect the equipment of the Christmas village.
“We don’t feel like we’re excluding anyone at all. It’s been like this since we [est à] Émilie-Gamelin, in 2016, and we never had any problems, ”points out Julie Bourbonnière, communications manager for the Christmas festival in the park.
Except that as there was no edition last year and that homelessness has increased in the neighborhood since, the absence of homeless during the event is even more obvious this year. Moreover, issues related to homelessness seem to put off a large part of the public, who were not as numerous as expected this weekend in the Christmas village, despite the outdoor shows that took place there.
“We will have to work on revitalization. Because if it continues like this, we will have to ask ourselves whether an event like this one in Émilie-Gamelin is viable ”, continues Mme Bourbonnière.
Vaccination passport
Christmas in the park continues until December 23. DJ Socalled will perform at Place Émilie-Gamelin on Thursday, and a traditional music show will be presented on the Christmas village stage on Friday.
You must present a vaccination passport to enter the site on show evenings. The president and general manager of the Mission Bon Accueil, Sam Watts, hopes that this measure is applied in moderation for the homeless.
“There is very good vaccination coverage among the homeless. But even if proof of vaccination is provided, not everyone is equipped to comply with the obligation. We therefore hope that the organizers will know how to use their judgment, ”says Mr. Watts, who otherwise is in favor of holding events for the general public at Place Émilie-Gamelin.