Montreal's New Homeless Encampment Protocol

0:00Montreal's rolling out a fresh protocol on homeless encampments, ditching the old habit of tearing them down. Instead, the city's pushing for tolerance, hooking folks up with basics like portable toilets and storage when they can. Announced back on February 20, this 40-page plan sets up tolerance zones where encampments can shift if needed, aiming for a more humane. Vibe across all 19 burrows. The idea hit City Hall in February, but is still grinding through red tape as warmer weather amps up the encampment numbers. Mayor, Soraya, Martinez, Farada wants every burrow pitching in on these zones to build a real safety net since homelessness hits different spots in different ways. Counselors from Project Montreal are calling out the delays, stressing equity so no one's left guessing on resources. They flagged past class action lawsuits over roughing camman sweeps, pushing for clear rules that stick citywide and dodge more legal heat. Checks in early April showed no burrows confirming tolerance zones yet, most just kick questions back to City Hall.

1:03Officials say zones are optional tools for safety, but burrows have the freedom to map them out. At this week's council meeting, the mayor owned up to tweaking the protocol on the fly amid the crisis, agreeing to pull it for a full vote next month in May. Battle lock it in mandatory for all burrows, keeping the momentum on this vital shift. Canada news today, powered by AI bringing you what matters. I'm Cory with the story.