Homeless population should be exempt from curfew fines: advocates

MONTREAL – Being out on the street in Quebec after 8 p.m. requires a valid reason amid the province-wide COVID-19 curfew.

Being inside requires a physical roof, and for those who don’t have a shelter or a home, it hasn’t been easy.

Premier Francois Legault said in an update Tuesday he’s not making exceptions – even after a homeless Innu man was found dead inside a public bathroom just steps from the Open Door shelter that was not allowed to be open at the time.

“If we change the rules and say you cannot give a ticket to somebody who is saying they’re homeless, you may have some people that may pretend to be homeless,” he said.

Legault also said he trusts the police force when it comes to who they decide to ticket.

It comes after Mayor Valerie Plante demanded the provincial government exempt the homeless population, just days after the death of Raphael Andre.

“It’s very stressful to send somebody out because we’re forced to close, knowing we’re basically forcing them to break the law,” said John Tessier of the Open Door Shelter.

“Why are we going to pile stress on an already stressful life? It’s stressful enough to be homeless, not knowing where you’re going to sleep at night.”

Andre was a client at the Open Door.

Since curfew began on Jan. 9, police have given out at least 300 tickets to people caught breaking curfew – including to at least six homeless people.

“Police shouldn’t be doing repression. They should be guiding these people, telling them where places are open,” said Pietro Poletti, a former detective with the Montreal Police Department.

“And the city has to assist. There are empty municipal buildings… give them access to the entrances just to warm up.”

With 95 per cent of shelter beds occupied on some nights, many are asking for more resources.

“They are afraid, they feel lost. They need a place to stay at night. For many people, Open Door is like a home,” said Louise Ochoa, an outreach worker with the shelter.

After crying out for weeks, public health gave the Open Door the green light to implement new measures following a COVID-19 outbreak and the shelter should be back to being open 24/7 next week.

“We’re grateful the wheels are in motion and that people are speaking up. Unfortunately, it took a man’s death for that to happen,” said Tessier.