As Montreal homeless encampments grow, documents reveal patchwork response
Data obtained by CBC News shows rise in encampments, and a varied response by boroughs to addressing crisis
Homeless encampments have become increasingly common in Montreal over the past five years, leading authorities to adopt a patchwork of approaches to monitor and address the problem, documents reveal.
Records obtained by CBC News under access-to-information legislation show a sharp rise in encampments since the pandemic, both downtown and in outlying boroughs.
Advocates argue the city needs a more coherent strategy to support those living on the streets and help them find housing.
"We have to do better than we're doing right now," said James Hughes, CEO and president of the Old Brewery Mission, Montreal's largest homeless shelter.
"The amount of police and borough resources being used to enforce existing bylaws, with no net positive results, is a huge expenditure. We can use those resources much better if we update and modernize the way we address this new social phenomenon."
CBC News requested a record of encampments from all of the city's boroughs between the start of 2020 and Nov. 1, 2024. Twelve of the 19 boroughs responded by deadline normally required under access-to-information rules.
The incomplete records make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions about the total number of encampments and how many have been dismantled. However, they suggest discrepancies in how boroughs are responding to the problem.
Moving the problem
Encampments in some neighbourhoods were quickly removed, according to the documents, while others were subject to dozens of visits by police, social workers and city employees over the course of several months.
Earlier this week, employees from Quebec's Transport Ministry dismantled sections of a homeless encampment on provincially owned land east of the downtown core.
One man, whom CBC News agreed not to name because he worries for his safety and privacy, said it was his fifth time being forced to move since 2020.
"I knew it was coming, but it's still awful," he said, with tears in his eyes, as workers dressed in hazmat suits cleared away his belongings. Police in riot gear stood watch.
Jennifer Fakhouri, co-ordinator at the nearby CAP St-Barnabé shelter, criticized the city for not coming up with a plan before clearing the encampment. The 170-bed shelter was full when the encampment was cleared.
"At least try to find the human decency to try to find them a place to go, or at least offer some sort of a temporary solution," she said.
Hughes said the city needs a more deliberate strategy to address the homelessness crisis, rather than leaving it up to boroughs to enforce bylaws such as trespassing and loitering.
"The city needs new tools to address encampments — not just enforcing bylaws and displacing people, but addressing risk, danger and housing opportunities," Hughes said.
"The current practices just move the problem from one place to another."
Strain on resources
Ville-Marie, which spans downtown Montreal, reported the highest number of encampments among the boroughs that complied with the information request.
The borough recorded more than 300 encampments — each potentially housing multiple people and tents — between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1, 2024, putting it on track to surpass last year's total.
Some boroughs provided detailed accounts of how authorities responded, shedding light on the challenges of managing the crisis and the strain it places on resources.
One park encampment in Plateau-Mont-Royal was visited dozens of times by police and other officials.
The encampment, the location of which was redacted, was the subject of 61 interventions between Jan. 1 and Nov. 1. Those staying there were at times threatened with expulsion, and at other times simply asked to keep the area clean.
In total, the Plateau borough recorded 73 encampments so far in 2024, a figure that included individuals living in abandoned or unoccupied city buildings.
The Sud-Ouest borough has tracked 126 encampments this year. Borough records point to the rising tensions between those living in encampments and nearby residents.
In one instance from 2022, a woman reported noticing a large tent in front of her building, which soon multiplied to three. She described disturbances, including a barking dog and an older man who appeared homeless following her friend into the building.
"Please do something about this as it is a public park, not a campsite," she wrote.
Craig Sauvé, an independent councillor for the Sud-Ouest borough who has called on the city to declare a state of emergency to address homelessness, said how authorities respond can depend on who owns the land.
He also said while there are some general directives from the city, borough mayors tend to have "leeway of their own in order to apply those differently."
Sam Watts, head of Montreal's Welcome Hall Mission, said the city — with assistance from the provincial and federal governments — needs to take a more deliberate approach to help people in encampments.
He said interventions should be part of an attempt to "lead the person back toward permanent housing."
"We're wasting a lot of resources," he said.
Outlying boroughs faced with new reality
Records also show that boroughs further from downtown were the site of encampments for the first time. Among the findings:
- Verdun recorded more than 100 encampments in 2024, primarily along the water. By contrast, the previous four years saw "very few" encampments, according to borough records.
- LaSalle reported between 10 and 15 people in encampments in 2024, up from four or five in 2023 and none in prior years.
- Lachine didn't provide the total number of encampments — but shared documents showing city officials had monitored the camps and responded to concerns from residents.
- Saint-Laurent recorded eight encampments in 2024, up from two in 2023 and none two years ago.
- Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension documented eight encampments this year.
- Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles said there were 13 encampments on their territory in 2024.
- The suburban boroughs of Pierrefonds–Roxboro and Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève said they had no record of encampments on their territory. Anjou also said they had no records.
Plante calls on help from Quebec
Montreal, like many other Canadian cities, has seen a dramatic rise in homelessness since the pandemic. Between 2018 and 2022, the latest government data available, the number of homeless people across the province doubled to roughly 10,000. About half of them are based in Montreal.
Last spring, the city established a committee to address the growing presence of encampments, which included non-profits, health professionals, police and borough officials.
Hughes, who was part of the committee, said its report was submitted in August. He said the recommendations included connecting people to housing options and addressing underlying causes of homelessness.
But he says he's frustrated by what he sees as a lack of action since then.
"I think the recommendations are very thoughtful and a really good base for the city to go ahead," he said.
"The goal isn't just to move people out of tents but to actually solve the problem."
In a statement, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante's office said it doesn't consider encampments a solution to homelessness — and intervenes to try to offer people access to resources.
"Despite the constant efforts of all those working on the ground in the boroughs and downtown, the city alone will not be able to resolve the crisis," said Simon Charron, a spokesperson for Plante.
He said the Quebec government needs to do more to help fund efforts to get people off the streets.
On Tuesday evening, the city launched a round of public consultations on homelessness and cohabitation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Rowan Kennedy