Carl Lavigne uses a pair of pliers to pull hard on the zipper of his tent to close it. Snow accumulated on the branches of a tree falls heavily onto the canvas and then slides inside. The storm of the last few days was violent. “I found it hard this morning. “I woke up freezing,” said the 41-year-old.
Posted at 5:00 am.
He has been living here since mid-October, on the corner of a quiet street in Longueuil, just a stone's throw from the library and a homeless shelter. He was then released from prison. During the seven months of his sentence, he was unable to maintain his $750-a-month living space. Despite several approaches and a few construction contracts, he can't find anything within his budget. He even tried renting a heated garage. “I don’t pay 1,500 piastres for four and a half. »
So he found himself on the street for the first time in his life. He sets up his tent, which he shares with his girlfriend and her dog.
A few years ago, such a scene would have been unthinkable in the suburbs. No longer.
Unpublished data compiled by La Presse in 20 cities and municipalities at the end of November allows us to paint a first picture of the situation of the camps in Quebec. The observation is clear: temporary installations are being built almost everywhere, even in the regions. Given the tensions caused by the occupation of public spaces and the lack of places in emergency shelters, the authorities are overwhelmed.
We asked key communities in several regions how many camps or individual tents were dismantled in their area last year. We also asked them to quantify the number of existing warehouses, if possible. All cities contacted reported either dismantling or observing camps in 2023.
Result: more than 609 camps dismantled and at least 126 camps known and not dismantled. Please note that the same warehouse may have been dismantled multiple times.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The Fisher Park Camp in Granby before it was dismantled in October.
In addition to Montreal and Quebec, temporary installations were noted in Sherbrooke, Joliette, Gatineau, Longueuil, Drummondville, Granby, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Saint-Jérôme, Laval, Lévis and Trois-Rivières, but also in other outlying districts such as Amos , Val-d'Or, Rouyn-Noranda, La Sarre, Napierville, Saguenay or even Saint-Georges in Beauce.
“Their numbers are troubling,” says Marie-Ève Sylvestre, dean and full professor of civil law at the University of Ottawa’s law school. In her opinion, this is a “national emergency that by no means wants to be solved.”
The Department of Health and Human Services and most cities are responding; They let things get worse until we realize we should do something.
Marie-Ève Sylvestre, dean and full professor of civil law at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law
Different approaches
The municipalities' ideas about the management of these facilities vary. The same goes for the way they count them.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, LA PRESS ARCHIVE
A camp set up in 2021 near the Saint-Paul church in Saint-Jérôme
There are those who have a zero-tolerance policy, like Quebec or Saint-Jérôme. As soon as a camp is reported there, it will be dismantled. The high court must also address this systematic practice of the community. After refusing on Friday to issue an injunction to stop the court's action, the court will have to assess the merits of the issue at a date yet to be determined.
There were 58 dismantlings in Quebec between January and November 2023. “As soon as patrol officers or social services detect that someone has moved in a public place, we take measures to refer them to the appropriate services.” Then we systematically dismantle the camp, says spokesman Jean-Pascal Lavoie. We believe this is the best way to maintain a balance between the needs of these people and the needs of citizens. »
On site the situation is less absolute. “There are camps,” notes Mary-Lee Plante, coordinator of the Regroupement pour l'aide aux itinerants de Québec.
People know where they can stay overnight without being seen. There is word of mouth on the street. And if there are no complaints, the police look elsewhere.
Mary-Lee Plante, coordinator of the Regroupement pour l'aide aux itinerants de Québec
Many camp residents do not want to live in emergency accommodation. Even if they wanted to, there wouldn't be room in the resources for everyone “who doesn't have the choice to turn people down every night,” Ms. Plante notes.
tolerance
On the other side of the spectrum, there are cities that pursue a policy of tolerance. Authorities are monitoring the number of emergency shelters there, but do not claim to be comprehensive because some facilities are hidden.
In 2023, Sherbrooke Police regularly visited around thirty locations. The phenomenon has increased since the pandemic, notes Gaétan Drouin, deputy general manager of the city, and will continue to grow in importance, he predicts. The lack of funding is “glaring”. Police Captain Sébastien Ouimette, in charge of the homeless group, has also requested money from Quebec that he has not yet received to deploy other agents to target the homeless clientele. “We don’t have enough time for everything,” he says. (See other text)
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Carl Lavigne's tent in Longueuil
For its part, the Longueuil agglomeration reports five confirmed places with tents, including the place where Carl Lavigne lives, and ten places considered “uncertain”, “that is, the observations date or have not yet been verified”. the moment. “We will try to help people and get them to the right resources. If the camp is not safe, we will take measures, but we cannot arrive with the cavalry,” explains Raphaël Larocque-Cyr, spokesman for the city.
These phenomena have been increasing for three years, which is of great concern to us.
Raphaël Larocque-Cyr, spokesman for the city of Longueuil
Lack of resources
In Laval, the size of the territory does not allow authorities to obtain a complete overview. “We have a lot of forest areas and fields. There are certainly some that are not brought to our attention,” says Martin Métivier, head of the social emergencies department of the Laval police. Last year his team visited around ten camps, seven of which were dismantled. Three of them were at risk of fire. In three others, city staff were never able to contact residents. The seventh-floor resident was transported to the hospital for mental health issues after a month of repeated procedures.
“The phenomenon is increasing. That was an anecdote two years ago, says Mr. Métivier. We are continuing to develop our approach. At the moment we are taking things a little bit by bit. If we tolerate too much we create a safety problem, but there is also respect. Are we obliged to dismantle it if there is no complaint or danger? The reality is that there is no room for all of these people [dans les ressources]. We are so close to Montreal that they absorb most of the funding. »
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, LA PRESSE ARCHIVE
The Gatineau camp, photographed in summer 2023
In Gatineau, the CISSS de l'Outaouais team regularly visits two large sites to ensure basic services. The first, which often made headlines, featured 70 tents and 21 RVs on November 3rd. The other had “six or seven” installations. Be careful, warns Jeneviève Caron from the Department of Mental Health and Addictions, as there are often more tents in the camps than there are people living there. Sometimes the same person uses more than one tent to store their possessions. Individuals maintain a settlement in the camp, even while sleeping in shelter.
In addition to these two large camps, there are certainly others hidden, but the CISSS lacks the resources to locate them. “We have a lot of waterways, a lot of bike paths and it’s all connected to the park [de la Gatineau] said Ms. Caron.
In Saguenay, people “spent the winter outside in their camps last year,” admits spokesman Dominic Arseneau. “They have been very creative in keeping warm,” he said, adding that their facilities were discreet and had not caused any complaints.
“We’re trying to redirect people to resources. If they accept, even better. There is no longer any dismantling, so to speak. “But there are also camps that were tolerated for a long time because they were in a place where they didn’t bother anyone,” says Mr. Arseneau.
In Longueuil, Carl Lavigne knows his presence is unsettling. “There are people who complain,” he said. The police tolerate it for now. The same applies to the few neighboring tents, their “mini community”.
But he wants more. “If there is a typhoon somewhere, help will be organized. This is an emergency situation. Open the buildings at night, he said, pointing to the rink chalet in the park across the street. Set up cots. »