New report says Montreal should stop dismantling homeless encampments

MONTREAL — A new report says Montreal should stop dismantling homeless encampments until the city develops a policy to better care for the unhoused.

Police look on as workers from the Transport Department dismantle a homeless encampment in Montreal on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

MONTREAL — A new report says Montreal should stop dismantling homeless encampments until the city develops a policy to better care for the unhoused.

Montreal’s public consultation office says the city should instead create safer living conditions in the encampments by improving access to drinking water, toilets, waste collection and electricity.

The consultation office’s report says there’s a serious lack of leadership and governance in the fight against homelessness in Montreal and in the rest of the province.

It says community organizations lack the resources they need to help people experiencing homelessness.

It also says the city should ask health authorities to establish more supervised drug-consumption services in Montreal.

The report follows public consultations that began last year, as city officials grappled with the rising number of people experiencing homelessness.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2025.

The Canadian Press

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