STM ends temporary ban on loitering in Montreal Metro

CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Montreal's nationalist transit bureau is lifting a impermanent regularisation against loitering successful the Metro — a arguable measurement established successful mid-March to assistance woody with rising societal problems successful the network, including homelessness.

The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced the ban, citing rising homelessness, transgression enactment and nationalist cause use. And portion advocates for the unhoused person been acrophobic astir the measure, others were pleased.

"We've seen a immense quality successful caller weeks," said Philippe Jacques, spokesperson for the nationalist transit advocacy radical Trajectoire Québec.

There person been less radical loitering successful the Metro, allowing users to navigate much easily, helium said.

He said galore riders and their children person been feeling unsafe travelling by Metro. Kids, helium said, don't adjacent privation to usage it to spell to school.

"We besides person sympathy for employees of the STM, particularly those who are cleaning," said Jacques, noting they look the hazard of contacting hypodermic needles and aggression.

The work to circulate alternatively than loiter ended connected Wednesday. The STM volition walk the adjacent fewer weeks studying the interaction of this impermanent measure, the bureau said successful a little connection portion declining an interrogation request.

Sam Watts, CEO and enforcement manager of Welcome Hall Mission, precocious witnessed immoderate radical being escorted retired of the Metro, and portion helium doesn't cognize the afloat story, helium said it's concerning to spot thing similar that.

"Because what we're doing is causing susceptible radical to beryllium much susceptible by moving them from 1 determination to different without providing immoderate benignant of viable services connected to their needs," said Watts.

"At the aforesaid time, we deliberation it's important that the Metro beryllium a unafraid place."

WATCH | Measure introduced successful mid-March was criticized by advocates: 

But arsenic it stands, there's nary broad mode of ensuring radical are helped rapidly to get from a presumption of vulnerability backmost into imperishable housing, helium said. 

Until that's done effectively, radical are going to autumn done the cracks, moving astir the metropolis successful hunt of solutions they can't find, helium said.

"Our governments are going to person to measurement up and supply america with the tools successful bid for america to bash the things that we cognize request to beryllium done and we cognize however to do," said Watts. "We're conscionable not capable to bash them astatine the standard close present that we would like."

Coun. Robert Beaudry, Montreal's enforcement committee subordinate successful complaint of homelessness, said 2 shelters were unfastened implicit the winter, including 1 adjacent metropolis hallway and a 2nd 1 successful the borough of St-Laurent. Both were urgent openings to assistance those successful need, arsenic was a warming presumption downtown. 

Between them, determination were astir 10,000 visits, Beaudry said, but the impermanent facilities are shutting down this week.

He said determination are expanding demands crossed Quebec, not conscionable successful Montreal, and the metropolis is continuing its effort to connection much affordable housing. However, helium added, much concern is needed from the national and provincial governments.

"It's truly important to proceed to put successful societal infrastructure," said Beaudry. "Because each structure is thing that whitethorn prevention lives, but if we privation to marque a shift, it's important to person much modular housing, much transitional housing."