Montreal city council votes down motion to declare homelessness state of emergency

Montreal’s metropolis assembly has voted down a question brought by a brace of Independent metropolis councillors seeking to person a authorities of exigency declared implicit the city’s homelessness situation.

Mayor Valérie Plante says councillors hold that the precocious fig of unhoused radical is an urgent interest but declaring a authorities of exigency would not help.

The question submitted by assembly members Craig Sauvé and Serge Sasseville was defeated Monday nighttime successful a 32-26 vote.

Earlier this month, Plante called connected the provincial and national governments to scope a woody to escaped up what she said is $100 cardinal promised to assistance supply structure and different enactment to the province’s stateless population.

A authorities of exigency would person fixed assembly much powers, including allowing the metropolis to requisition privately owned accommodation for structure spaces, but the governing Projet Montréal said it would beryllium mostly symbolic.

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Robert Beaudry, a Projet Montréal councillor representing a downtown district, said adopting a authorities of exigency would enactment much unit connected the metropolis to negociate caller resources without immoderate further manpower oregon money.

He says everyone needs to bash their portion successful dealing with homelessness — including the state and Ottawa.

A increasing fig of cities crossed Canada person declared states of exigency successful caller years implicit homelessness, including Edmonton, Toronto and Hamilton.