(Montreal) Members of the Village community in downtown Montreal say they have seen improvements in safety and cleanliness, but argue that Quebec needs to do more to support vulnerable people in the neighborhood.
Montreal launched a strategy in June to revitalize the historic LGBTQ neighborhood after residents and business owners raised safety concerns amid homelessness, drug use and mental health issues in the neighborhood.
Emily Yu, owner of local restaurant Yamato Dumpling, says the situation last summer led her to close her establishment’s outdoor seating area and install a doorbell to control entry to the indoor dining area.
She says she has since received positive feedback from customers about improving sanitation facilities in the village, but there has still not been enough progress to give her confidence to reopen dining in outdoors this summer.
Christian Généreux, a spokesperson for the advocacy group J’aime mon Village, says that despite the city’s many efforts to improve the neighborhood, local authorities are limited in their ability to address underlying health and social challenges.
François Bergeron, director of the Centre-Sud Community Development Corporation, says the province needs to help provide more resources to homeless people in the Village.