A messy and wet moving day
3M helps out, raises money for Habitat for Humanity
The torrential downpour during Quebec’s annual mass migration didn’t stop thousands of Montrealers from moving on July 1.
Streets across the city were crammed with trucks and vans for what is the province’s traditional moving day. Some moved with the help of moving companies while others carried mattresses from one apartment to the next under the pouring rain.
For Charles-Etienne Bégin, his move was relatively easy because he had the help of friends. He chose to move to a Plateau-Mont-Royal apartment close to Laurier Park because it’s a quiet location.
“It’s always a good idea to move into an apartment that belonged to someone you know,” said Bégin. “That way we know they’re good landlords and that it is clean and everything.”
Moving day also provides opportunities for local students like Ben Brulé. Brulé started his own moving company called Smooth Moves to help Montrealers with small moves across the city. Brulé had four different moves set up for July 1.
“It’s raining too so we have to have a tarp to make sure everything doesn’t get wet and just to properly move things around,” said Brulé.
Brulé and his friends do this as a part-time job to make extra money as students.
“We do moves throughout the summer but for July 1 we really promoted it. It’s a big day in Quebec to move,” said Brulé.
The company 3M surprised many Quebecers by helping them move in major cities across the province. Led by comedian Phil Roy, the event also used social media to raise money for the Quebec branch of Habitat for Humanity.
It is a fitting initiative considering the annual moving day tradition doesn’t leave everyone with a place to live. François Saillant, from the Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU), said that often low-income families scramble to find a new home.
FRAPRU works with the city of Montreal to help residents who are in danger of being homeless after their July 1 leases expire. As of Tuesday, there were at least two households that found themselves still without a new home, said Saillant.
“With a low income and lots of children, it is very difficult,” he added. “There is one with many children. We are talking about five children in the family, so it is very difficult to find some place because there are not a lot of big apartments that are available and the ones that are, are very expensive.”
The city helps provide shelter, but Saillant believes the provincial government needs to fund more social housing projects and co-op housing so that Quebecers don’t end up homeless. In 2014, the city said it helped 26 households find affordable housing between midJune and mid-July.
“For me the long-term solution is social housing,” said Saillant. “We need to have more affordable housing.”