Community living under Ville-Marie expressway must leave: Quebec Appeal Court rules
Posted June 30, 2023 9:59 am.
Last Updated June 30, 2023 10:11 am.
The 20 or so people living under Montreal’s Ville-Marie expressway must leave and won’t be able to stay there until July 15. A judge made the ruling after lawyers for the group appealed a spring decision by the Quebec Superior Court, which had given residents until June 16 to move. This was to allow for repairs to the expressway planned by Transport Quebec.
Advocates for the community have said they need more time to help people living there find housing.
A judge said the deteriorating state of the highway not only presented a risk to commuters driving on it, but to the residents living below it too.
This would allow Transport Quebec to conduct $35 million worth of maintenance work on the structure that supports the overpass – which they say should take up to three years.
It was supposed to have started last fall.
MORE ON VILLE-MARIE EXPRESSWAY ENCAMPMENT:
- Lawyers for homeless community living under Ville-Marie expressway appeal court decision to evict
- Homeless camp under Ville-Marie Expressway: Eviction delayed until June 15, injunction extended
- Petition urges Quebec government to find funds to house those living under Ville-Marie Expressway
- Interim injunction to suspend eviction of homeless people under Ville-Marie Expressway for 10 days
- Lawsuit to stop evictions of homeless under Ville-Marie Expressway
The group was initially asked to leave in November, with two weeks’ notice – but they were able to get an injunction and the eviction date was moved to March.
That’s when the Mobile Legal Clinic first filed court documents that asked for the eviction to be pushed to July 15 – and also asked for the Transport Ministry to come up with a plan to find homes for the residents.
The eviction was then scheduled for April 12, but delayed by 10 days.
At the end of April, the Quebec Superior Court renewed the legal clinic’s request for an injunction for another seven weeks.
On June 6, the court refused to renew the injunction and said there were resources available to the members of the tent community which they were choosing to ignore.
“Forcing people to leave this area by the end of the week will only do harm,” said Na’kuset, Executive Director of NWSM and Director of Development and Philanthropy of Resilience Montreal, at a press conference under the overpass on June 12. “What we’re asking for is just another month to help the people to move to a safe environment. I don’t think that’s difficult.”
“I really don’t know where to go, I don’t know where to go,” said Jacco Stuben, a resident of the encampment for over 10 years. He is one of the many left without access to affordable housing. “It’s not fair what they’re doing – why do you give us to the last moment to leave…give us some time.”
