The city of Montreal says it wants to amend a municipal bylaw passed in four boroughs that allows municipal libraries to ban access to people whose “personal hygiene may cause a nuisance to other users,” a measure that particularly impacts homeless people various organizations.
Beginning January 1, 2024, anyone violating this rule may be subject to fines ranging from $350 to $1,000. In the event of a repeat offense, these penalties can be up to $3,000, plus a one-month suspension.
The Montreal Support Network for Single and Homeless People (RAPSIM) strongly criticizes this measure and sees it as another example of an attempt to exclude people who use these places to warm up in winter.
Today it is the library network, yesterday it was the subway network, that is, our subway in Montreal, which is also adopting a repression plan for the winter, without taking into account the well-being and dignity of these people, explains the director of RAPSIM, Annie Savage.
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For RAPSIM, there are very few places left where homeless people can stay warm in winter. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Stu Mills
The city defends itself
The municipal administration took note of this outcry and announced that it wanted to change the statutes so that it reflects the desire for inclusion.
Mayor Valérie Plante, whose district of Ville-Marie is among those that adopted the regulation, announced on the network
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“We will rephrase it to make sure it reflects the inclusivity we want to have in our libraries,” argued Ericka Alnéus, responsible for culture and heritage at the City of Montreal.
Ms Alnéus also wanted to make it clear that the regulation is not aimed exclusively at people experiencing homelessness, but that it applies to everyone.
With information from Marc Verreault
Jacob Côtés report