"We have nowhere else to go"
The smell of cigarettes and urine reigns around the turnstiles of the Bonaventure metro station. Under the evasive gaze of passers-by, about twenty people sleep along the walls, while others talk to themselves. Crouching near an advertising poster, a woman takes a puff from a pipe.
It is not with a happy heart that they take refuge in the resort. "We have nowhere else to go," exclaims Riz, sitting against a railing near an ATM, a bag full of empty cans to his right. From one corner of the station to the other, people experiencing homelessness are massed in small groups. "I spend the day here until I'm kicked out, and I sleep in the snow until the resort reopens," says the man who has been homeless for almost seven years.
More and more people are coming to take refuge in Bonaventure station, says Riz. And the misery has never been so visible. "I saw two people overdose here in front of me in a matter of days, a 20-year-old guy and a girl. She died," he says.
According to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), 30 to 50 homeless people wander around the Bonaventure metro station every day. This influx is mainly due to the frequent overflows at the Mission Saint Michael, a day centre located a few steps away, according to Laurence Houde-Roy, spokesperson for the carrier.
"There are a lot of people here who take drugs, who have mental health problems," says George Grenier, who comes to take refuge at Bonaventure Station every day. Behind him, a man screams across the station, both arms in the air. "I don't know if it's because of the snow, but it's true that there are a lot of us now," adds Mr. Grenier.
Every evening, when the metro closes, STM peace officers drive about twenty people out of the Bonaventure station, La Presse reported in early February. And the entire network is overflowing: last year, 12,124 people were escorted outside
the Montreal metro, 2,000 more than the previous year.
The increased presence of homeless people in the Montreal metro has undermined users' sense of safety in the past year. The STM now fears a "breaking point" if other resources are not provided, La Presse reported Wednesday.
A canary in the mineIn the corridor that connects the Bonaventure station to the Marriott hotel, the floral scent of an air freshener struggles to cover a pungent smell. On the floor, a cardboard glass filled with urine is placed on the floor strewn with yellowish puddles.
Similar garbage was found there when Julie Grenier, spokesperson for the Movement to End Homelessness in Montreal (MMFIM), visited the station a few days earlier. "I've been working on homelessness for 10 years, and I was flabbergasted by what I saw," she says. It's as if all of a sudden, there was a small city in the metro. »
Bonaventure station has long been a homelessness hotspot, but the situation is now taking on "significant proportions," acknowledges city councillor Robert Beaudry, responsible for homelessness and urban planning on the City of Montreal's executive committee.
"If there are people in public spaces, it's because there is a lack of resources adapted to their needs," he says.
In its report to the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), the STM called for the establishment of a warming centre and a supervised injection site near the station. She also wants a new psychosocial intervention team to be deployed through her network. "Interesting proposals," according to Robert Beaudry.
Homelessness at the Bonaventure metro station. Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Bonaventure Station is a canary in the mine, comments Julie Grenier. "It's the embodiment of the magnitude of the crisis we have before us," she says. Ms. Grenier invites the provincial government to create a new body that is "accountable and responsible" for achieving results on homelessness. "It's utopian to think that heat stops will solve the situation," she adds.
In the meantime, organizations working in homelessness in Montreal are already struggling to improve their services due to a lack of funding. After the agreement on the fight against homelessness concluded between Quebec and Ottawa in December, Montreal resources presented 126 projects worth $92 million. But they only received $24 million, La Presse reported in early February. And with one month to go before the end of winter, no project has yet been selected.
"Terribly sad to see"Near the turnstiles, Kai Degani is waiting for a friend. The misery he observes in Bonaventure is "shocking," he says. "I don't feel threatened, but if I had young children, it might be a different situation. How do you explain this to toddlers? ", he says.
The chaos in Bonaventure is a "change of scenery" for the former Laval resident who recently moved to downtown Montreal. "It's terribly sad to see," says the man who would like to see more resources created to welcome those who find refuge in the metro. "Anything to help these people," he continues.
Near an exit, dozens of people sit on the ground, the sound of their conversation drowned out by the music emanating from a loudspeaker. An STM employee makes her way between them by picking up trash that is lying on the ground with a pick.
Looking calm, Ali Nargesi walks through the crowd. The high concentration of homelessness in the area is no longer surprising, he says. "It's a little insecure, but it's mostly uncomfortable to see people using or in crisis in public," he says.
Behind Ali Nargesi, a woman lights a cigarette. "We really need to find them a better place to go."
With the collaboration of Henri Ouellette-Vézina and Isabelle Ducas, La Presse
It is not with a happy heart that they take refuge in the resort. "We have nowhere else to go," exclaims Riz, sitting against a railing near an ATM, a bag full of empty cans to his right. From one corner of the station to the other, people experiencing homelessness are massed in small groups. "I spend the day here until I'm kicked out, and I sleep in the snow until the resort reopens," says the man who has been homeless for almost seven years.
More and more people are coming to take refuge in Bonaventure station, says Riz. And the misery has never been so visible. "I saw two people overdose here in front of me in a matter of days, a 20-year-old guy and a girl. She died," he says.
According to the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), 30 to 50 homeless people wander around the Bonaventure metro station every day. This influx is mainly due to the frequent overflows at the Mission Saint Michael, a day centre located a few steps away, according to Laurence Houde-Roy, spokesperson for the carrier.
"There are a lot of people here who take drugs, who have mental health problems," says George Grenier, who comes to take refuge at Bonaventure Station every day. Behind him, a man screams across the station, both arms in the air. "I don't know if it's because of the snow, but it's true that there are a lot of us now," adds Mr. Grenier.
Every evening, when the metro closes, STM peace officers drive about twenty people out of the Bonaventure station, La Presse reported in early February. And the entire network is overflowing: last year, 12,124 people were escorted outside
the Montreal metro, 2,000 more than the previous year.
The increased presence of homeless people in the Montreal metro has undermined users' sense of safety in the past year. The STM now fears a "breaking point" if other resources are not provided, La Presse reported Wednesday.
A canary in the mineIn the corridor that connects the Bonaventure station to the Marriott hotel, the floral scent of an air freshener struggles to cover a pungent smell. On the floor, a cardboard glass filled with urine is placed on the floor strewn with yellowish puddles.
Similar garbage was found there when Julie Grenier, spokesperson for the Movement to End Homelessness in Montreal (MMFIM), visited the station a few days earlier. "I've been working on homelessness for 10 years, and I was flabbergasted by what I saw," she says. It's as if all of a sudden, there was a small city in the metro. »
Bonaventure station has long been a homelessness hotspot, but the situation is now taking on "significant proportions," acknowledges city councillor Robert Beaudry, responsible for homelessness and urban planning on the City of Montreal's executive committee.
"If there are people in public spaces, it's because there is a lack of resources adapted to their needs," he says.
In its report to the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM), the STM called for the establishment of a warming centre and a supervised injection site near the station. She also wants a new psychosocial intervention team to be deployed through her network. "Interesting proposals," according to Robert Beaudry.
Homelessness at the Bonaventure metro station. Wednesday, February 19, 2025.
Bonaventure Station is a canary in the mine, comments Julie Grenier. "It's the embodiment of the magnitude of the crisis we have before us," she says. Ms. Grenier invites the provincial government to create a new body that is "accountable and responsible" for achieving results on homelessness. "It's utopian to think that heat stops will solve the situation," she adds.
In the meantime, organizations working in homelessness in Montreal are already struggling to improve their services due to a lack of funding. After the agreement on the fight against homelessness concluded between Quebec and Ottawa in December, Montreal resources presented 126 projects worth $92 million. But they only received $24 million, La Presse reported in early February. And with one month to go before the end of winter, no project has yet been selected.
"Terribly sad to see"Near the turnstiles, Kai Degani is waiting for a friend. The misery he observes in Bonaventure is "shocking," he says. "I don't feel threatened, but if I had young children, it might be a different situation. How do you explain this to toddlers? ", he says.
The chaos in Bonaventure is a "change of scenery" for the former Laval resident who recently moved to downtown Montreal. "It's terribly sad to see," says the man who would like to see more resources created to welcome those who find refuge in the metro. "Anything to help these people," he continues.
Near an exit, dozens of people sit on the ground, the sound of their conversation drowned out by the music emanating from a loudspeaker. An STM employee makes her way between them by picking up trash that is lying on the ground with a pick.
Looking calm, Ali Nargesi walks through the crowd. The high concentration of homelessness in the area is no longer surprising, he says. "It's a little insecure, but it's mostly uncomfortable to see people using or in crisis in public," he says.
Behind Ali Nargesi, a woman lights a cigarette. "We really need to find them a better place to go."
With the collaboration of Henri Ouellette-Vézina and Isabelle Ducas, La Presse
