Police to use discretion for homeless and curfew
Police will show tolerance and understanding towards the homeless population when enforcing the curfew that begins Saturday at 8 p.m., Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said Thursday.
At an online news conference to announce details of the new measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, the minister sought to calm fears among advocates for the homeless about the prospect of strict police enforcement of the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
“What we've said is that we want to accompany and help the homeless clientele and not blanket them with tickets,” she said when asked how the new regulations, which carry fines of $1,000 to $6,000, will affect homeless people.
“So tolerance will indeed be the right approach,” she said. “Nobody wants to hand out tickets to homeless people for the sake of handing out tickets, while knowing full well that the person has nowhere to go.”
Her remarks seemed to ease concerns sparked the day before by Premier François Legault, who said Wednesday that he expected all homeless people to be inside during the curfew, and that there were enough beds in shelters to accommodate everyone.
Samuel Watts, CEO of the Welcome Hall Mission, expressed confidence that police would show sensitivity to the plight of the homeless population when enforcing the new rules. “My indications are that the police are going to exercise discretion,” he said.
James Hughes, president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, welcomed Guilbault's clarifications.
“I think she gave it the nuance it requires,” he said. “I have spoken to police. I know they'll be taking a case-by-case approach.”
Montreal police promised in a statement to use a “preventive and adapted approach ... for people in vulnerable situations,” in enforcing the curfew.
The Réseau Solidarité Itinérance du Québec, representing organizations supporting the homeless, called on Guilbault to offer amnesty to all homeless people who infringe the curfew, saying that it does not reflect the realities of homelessness.
Lawyer Dylan Jones offered to represent pro bono any homeless person charged under the curfew.
Meanwhile, a recent surge in COVID-19 among the homeless population, particularly Indigenous people, is raising concerns over whether the current resources can continue to meet the needs.
“We are getting really tight. There is very little space left,” Hughes said.
While few in Montreal's homeless population were infected during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 100 have tested positive in recent weeks.
About 80 per cent of local Indigenous homeless people screened for COVID-19 have tested positive, according to organizations on the ground.
“The problem is we're having a crisis with COVID cases at all the shelters, especially those with Indigenous populations,” said Nakuset, executive director of the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal. “We're afraid to let new people in because we don't want to get our staff sick.”
The virus's spread has led to the closing of warming centres. Meanwhile, facilities that continue to operate have been forced to reduce capacity to allow for physical distancing, Hughes noted.
Heather Johnston, executive director of Projets Autochtones du Québec, which runs two Montreal shelters for Indigenous homeless people, said her organization could handle a 10-per-cent rise in demand for beds, but if “there is a 50-per-cent increase, we'll be completely overwhelmed.”
Montreal's homeless population was estimated at 3,150 at the last count in April 2018, but the numbers are believed to have increased during the pandemic.
The former Royal Victoria Hospital was converted over the holidays into a quarantine centre for homeless people with 87 beds, where they can isolate after testing positive and stay while awaiting their results.
A joint project by the Old Brewery Mission, Projets Autochtones du Québec and the Montreal Indigenous Community Network, it includes a supervised alcohol consumption management program. Services include nursing, medical and psychosocial support, meals and activities. People who become seriously ill are transported to hospitals.
“As soon as we realized the scale of the outbreak, there was a wave of solidarity within and toward the Aboriginal community,” Johnston said. “Within days, we opened a containment space tailored to the needs of Indigenous people, with familiar faces.”
The centre includes a red zone with 61 beds for people who have tested positive for the coronavirus. Thirty of those will be adapted to the needs of people with alcohol dependence.
The orange zone, for people awaiting test results, has 12 beds.
The yellow zone has 14 beds for people isolating after being in contact with an infected person.