Ensemble Montréal visits Chinatown amid complaints of increased violence

The leader of the official opposition party at city hall met with Chinatown residents and merchants on Thursday morning.

The community had extended an invitation to Ensemble Montréal leader Aref Salem following their calls that more be done amid concerns of growing violence in the neighbourhood.

“As a citizen, as a resident, as a business owner here, we want security. That’s the first priority for the Chinese community here,” said Bill Wong, long-time resident and merchant of Chinatown.

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Three elected officials visited what the community calls the most problematic areas of Chinatown, the entrance to the shelter in the Complexe Guy-Favreau, located near the fountain on de Gauchetière West, Brady Street and Clark Street, south of René-Lévesque, where they say drugs are being sold and consumed.

Since this summer, residents and merchants of Chinatown have been mobilizing, holding press conferences and launching a petition, to denounce problems of crime and violence in the neighbourhood.

“We asked many times the administration to invest and make sure no one is left behind, neither the homeless people or the residents living through these difficulties. So far we’re not at the level that we want the administration to be. We’re not seeing real investment,” said Aref Salem, leader of Ensemble Montréal.

Residents and merchants have complained that they are not consulted by municipal officials on public safety and quality of life issues, including the decision to open a homeless shelter in the Complexe Guy-Favreau.

They say vulnerable community members such as seniors, people with reduced mobility and women of diverse origins who have long lived in Chinatown are at risk.

The community has also invited the Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, to visit the neighbourhood, but say they are still waiting to hear back.

“In our past three press conferences we invited the mayor to come spend an evening down here to see how bad the situation is and for some reason she is mia – missing in action,” said Bryant Chang, the vice president of the Chinese Association of Montreal.

The mayor of Montreal Valerie Plante reacted at a press conference Thursday saying she understand their concerns because she goes through Chinatown frequently.

“We’re acting, adding more police officers, doing more arrests, working with social workers. But it’s not easy, there’s not one solution. There needs to be more mental health support, we’re asking Quebec for help with that and there needs to be places where people are safe under a roof which is why we’re fighting so much for housing. But we will continue to be in Chinatown and make sure the police presence is higher,” Plante said.

“I don’t want to hear anymore this is the leadership of the government of Quebec. It’s a shared responsibility between the government of Quebec and Montreal and we need to both be at the roundtable,” Salem said during his visit of Chinatown Thursday morning.