Citizens are beginning to no longer feel safe in downtown Chicoutimi. Homelessness issues are on the rise and violent and aggressive behavior is a concern. So much so that traders on rue Racine feel obliged to take exceptional measures to secure their customers.
Police officers who call out to a man in the street or cries that are impossible to ignore. Homeless people are more numerous in downtown Chicoutimi. More and more citizens are calling on the police of Saguenay for this kind of problem.
“More people experiencing homelessness, therefore more calls, more citizens who notice this problem,” admits Luc Tardif, spokesperson for the Saguenay Police Department.
“At some point, someone has to open their eyes,” laments a citizen arrested in the street.
Exceptional measures
The problems are so persistent that the owners of 255 rue Racine have chosen to lock the doors of the building which houses offices and businesses earlier. The doors are now locked from 3 p.m. on weekdays and at all times on weekends. The tenants of the building who have shops or offices must therefore pick up their customers at the door of the building.
“I tell myself that especially on weekends when we are alone in the building, it adds a certain security too,” says Jocelyne Gauthier, who works as a hairdresser at Salon Vision.
Building managers had hired a security guard for five weeks, which many said solved part of the problem. But his contract ended earlier this week.
“If it wasn’t very expensive, we would surely have kept it because we liked it. If it weren’t for the damage they are doing to the building, I would tell you that it would bother us a lot less, ”explains Valérie Girard, administrative director for Harvey’s Property Management.
They have taken steps to try to find solutions.
“We went to see the lady who takes care of the community. They are aware of the problem, but like any community organization, they are limited in their resources,” continues Ms. Girard.
Traders have had enough
In the city center, traders are running out of solutions.
“Rue Racine is terrible how it turned out, it’s even worse than worse than worse! I’m afraid to come to work, I arrive at 5 in the morning. There are a lot of people who experience a lot of anxiety. People no longer want to enter our businesses,” worries Danielle Duperré, who works at the Café du Palais.
“In the building, it circulates, it goes into the bathrooms, it does damage,” adds Ms. Gauthier, who works at Salon Vision.
Harvey’s Property Management gets feedback on this every day. Employees of the Caisse Desjardins have also asked them for access cards to be able to enter the building without going through Racine Street. The counters are now accessible only during the opening hours of the cash counters in certain locations.
“We are really breaking our heads. We don’t want to drive them away, that’s not the goal. The goal is to help them, ”laments the administrative director, who hopes to find a solution to accommodate everyone.
The district councilor did not want to address the situation at this time. She continues to collect information related to this case.