On a freezing night, man and his dog had no place to go
STM says it couldn’t open métro’s doors to man after 1 a.m. due to safety concerns
It was -16 C Thursday night when Christian banged on the doors of the Berri-UQAM métro station. It was 2:30 a.m., and it was too cold to be outside — especially for his dog and life companion. Buddy, a Doberman, was wrapped in two blankets in his arms. Still, he was shivering badly. The shelters — the Maison du Père, the Old Brewery Mission, and the Acceuil Bonneau — were all full, as Montreal recorded its coldest-ever Nov. 22. But only one shelter in Montreal accepts dogs anyway — SOS Itinérance — and it had already closed. So Christian went to the métro station and in a panic rapped on the glass as hard as he could. When two inspectors arrived, they refused to let him in. The métro was closed. Buddy died shortly after, a friend of Christian’s says, telling the story 12 hours later. “(Christian) is very isolated. He doesn’t mix with people. That dog was his life. He was everything to him and now he has nothing to live for anymore,” says Susan Clarke, who runs Calling All Angels, a volunteer organization that provides clothes and hot meals to homeless people downtown. “People keep saying ‘the métro is so good they open their doors for the homeless’ — but they don’t.” In this case, there is no one culprit to blame or easy solution. The Société de Transport de Montréal does open its doors to the homeless, under certain circumstances. They are allowed to come in from the cold and warm up, says Amélie Régis, a spokesperson for the STM. But only during operating hours — or until about 1 a.m. “Our stations are closed at 2:30 — we don’t let anyone in when there’s no surveillance. There’s work done on the rails and trains passing. It’s not safe. When it’s cold and the stations are open, we allow them to stay there as long as they follow the rules. But we aren’t a shelter for the homeless. We operate the métro.” Over the last six years, the STM, in collaboration with the Société de développement social (SDS), has set up “service points” in five métro stations to help the homeless, directing them to the resources they need. They also provide a shuttle service to the Old Brewery Mission from the Bonaventure métro station. But the shuttle is only available in the winter — starting Dec. 1. The Mission was running its own shuttle service Thursday. But it doesn’t accept dogs. Émile Roux, the spokesperson for the SDS, speculated that someone should have called emergency services to look after Christian and his dog. But was he intoxicated? Or agitated? There are a lot of variables to take into consideration, he said. “The STM is on the front line, here, but the problem, too, is that people with their dogs don’t have many places to stay in Montreal. Shelters don’t accept couples, they don’t accept people who are intoxicated, they don’t accept pets. That’s where the problem is. The city should be trying to rectify this situation.” SOS Itinérance welcomes people with their pets, but only until 7 p.m. Another so-called “halte chaleur” (or warming centre) in Hochelaga welcomes pets inside the Roi des Rois church. But it only opens next week. At the same time, most shelters refuse pets not because they don’t want them there, but because there are too many administrative and other hurdles involved in converting a shelter into a place where animals can stay, too, Roux said. And yet, for homeless people, animals can be their lifeline. “Sometimes their pet is the only living thing that hasn’t abandoned them or disappointed them. He has a much more important role in their lives than your dog or mine.” According to Clarke, who serves hot meals to homeless and needy people downtown every two weeks, Christian is a loner who has been on the streets for 20 years. He always kept his dog warm first, and when he lined up for a hot meal, he always made sure his dog was fed first. “The dog kept him warm, and he kept the dog warm and the dog protected him,” Clarke said. “But he couldn’t find anywhere (Thursday) night. “What frustrates me is to go downtown and see empty buildings that are heated. We need more social housing and more mental health workers on the street to help these people.” Meanwhile, in Toronto, they are providing heated tents and running toilets for the homeless, Clarke said — why can’t Montreal do the same? Here, a homeless person is not allowed to sleep on a park bench, only under it, she said. “In my heart of hearts I think Christian won’t be alive next week. He’ll be another one who will disappear.”
(Christian) doesn’t mix with people. That dog was his life. He was everything to him and now he has nothing to live for anymore.