Roger-Luc Chayer (Photo: Gay Globe)
An exclusive investigation by Gay Globe Media Group
Recently, we have all heard about the rise in crime and the occupation of Place du Village, located at the corner of Ste-Catherine East and Wolfe streets, across from Piazzetta restaurant and Chez Mado cabaret. According to many residents, including Daniel Matte, a member of the Montreal Village Citizens’ Association, the situation has become so concerning that visiting this place is almost impossible. The assaults occurring there not only repel locals but also tourists, who are encountering a disturbing side of Montreal.
Social media is filled with testimonials from residents, merchants, and passersby, all troubled and horrified by what is happening in this no-man’s land left in the hands of criminals and desperate individuals. This place is not the only issue in the Village; the areas around Papineau metro station are another example, with a high concentration of drug users and the homeless. Additionally, along the southern side of Place Dupuis, between Ste-Catherine and René-Lévesque streets, a mass of homeless people is wreaking havoc. However, Place du Village seems to be the epicenter, the headquarters of the city’s social and criminal troubles, which clearly appears to have lost control of the situation.
A large number of drug traffickers, homeless individuals, and drug addicts lying around everywhere, pickpockets, thefts both day and night, intimidation, assaults, attempts at murder, harassment, illegal nighttime occupation, vandalism, an open-air dump, a plethora of used syringes, and a total absence of police—everything is there!
Site visit by Gay Globe on August 27, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
I decided to go there to better understand the situation and report the essentials. However, what I saw and experienced during my hour-and-a-half visit gave me the impression of no longer being in Montreal’s Gay Village, but rather in a place entirely abandoned to criminals and other troublemakers. I felt like many might feel in Haiti or Afghanistan, and it was far from pleasant. I was at the heart of the new Villagestan!
Before heading to the corner of Ste-Catherine and Atateken, I made sure to leave my wallet in my vehicle, keeping only a pack of chewing gum and my cellphone on me, hoping to take just one photo, which turned out to be the one above.
Walking casually with my hands in my pockets, I first observed the area. There were many people, but nothing like the usual crowd of the Village. People were lying on the ground, surrounded by dirty needles; a few individuals, zombie-like, clearly under the recent influence of some unknown substance; watchful individuals eyeing me inquisitively; passersby with a menacing appearance; and a more ordinary-looking man sitting and watching the street. The restaurant in the square, which should have brought some life and normalcy to this cursed space, had been closed due to the inability to find employees willing to work in such a context. There was also a woman in the midst of a psychotic crisis, completely disoriented and half-naked, crying and screaming in her suffering, half-sitting, half-lying in the sand, with no one caring about her. It was like a scene from a Vincent Price horror movie, except that what was in front of me was very real.
A Good Samaritan to Help Me
While searching for a way to take a photo without drawing attention—fearing a violent reaction from those who might feel spied on, considering intoxicated people sometimes have impaired judgment—I approached the only person who seemed normal. I explained that I wanted to take a photo from a distance and that he needn’t worry about being in it, as I would blur the faces. He replied that it was kind of me to ask, then introduced himself by shaking my hand. « Roman » (a fictitious name to protect his identity) then told me a bit about why he was there and that he knew most of the people present. We talked at length about his life as an artist and his health, while several people came up to ask if we needed anything (i.e., drugs) and to make sure we were buying from them and not other sellers.
When I said I wanted to take a break to take my photo, he advised me to speak with the big guy watching us from a few meters away. It seemed to me that this man was some sort of leader on-site, a 6’4″ surveillance type with the physical appearance of a user. The closer I got, the more his body language showed concern and nervousness, unsure of what I wanted from him. I quickly introduced myself: « Hi, I’m Roger. I’m supposed to do a report on this part of the Village and would like to take a wide-angle photo. I was told to come and introduce myself first, » I said with a smile and a relaxed demeanor.
I added that I didn’t want to alarm the people present and asked for his advice on how to proceed. He told me to do whatever I wanted, noting that he didn’t care about my plans—after all, he wasn’t a tourism board employee. However, he suggested that I position myself at the corner of Wolfe Street, facing away from the square, prepare my camera, turn quickly, and take just one shot, that’s it! « Yes, sir! » I followed his instructions and then went back to show the photo to my seated artist.
Place du Village Also Serves as a Human Dumping Ground!
A young man then arrived, greeting the artist he seemed to know while extending his hand to me. With his tanned complexion and large almond-shaped eyes, he appeared to be a friendly young man, but that was not the case. I slipped my phone into my pocket, which he noticed, and he mentioned that he had just been released from prison for a simple assault. He had been held at Rivière-des-Prairies prison for two months after « beating the face of a guy who was looking for trouble. » I asked him how his stay was, telling him I had volunteered in a medium-security federal prison in Cowansville. He candidly replied that nothing was more valuable than freedom.
Since he had been homeless before his arrest, he was incarcerated with nothing but the clothes on his back and no resources. Upon his release, lacking money, agents took him directly to the corner of Ste-Catherine and Atateken, pointing him towards Place du Village and promising that he would find resources there. He was brought there with no means to eat, get shelter, or reintegrate, under the vague promise that they would take care of him. Obviously, this promise proved false. I found it outrageous that people with no resources are being directly led to the heart of the Village, as if bringing a dog to the SPCA. This is a rarely discussed reality: it seems that social cases are being deliberately dumped in the Village in the hope that a few volunteer organizations and psychosocial workers will intervene, even though resources are lacking everywhere. This is another cause of the current situation in the Village.
How can the merchants and residents of Montreal’s Gay Village regain confidence in their area, buy properties, or invest in businesses when they see what Place du Village has become? The City continues to present it as a place of cohabitation and tolerance, but what I observed in such a short time—and what is criticized everywhere—shows that we are far from that level of socialization.
Montreal Police Service (SPVM) No Longer Responds
According to an email recently received by Gay Globe from the SPVM’s media relations department, police now intervene only at the specific request of elected officials, in addition to the publication of a Quebec directive instructing Crown prosecutors not to lay charges against individuals accused of simple drug possession. This measure aims to decriminalize these individuals, meaning that those who previously would have appeared before a judge and been held accountable for a crime are no longer being pursued and are proliferating in the Village—and this is clearly visible!
With the SPVM having received directives not to intervene in the Village, might it be time to call in national police reinforcement (the Sûreté du Québec), or even place the SPVM under supervision to regain control of the situation? This is certainly a possibility.
This week, Montreal-Trudeau Airport authorities terminated their security contract with the SPVM and replaced it with officers from the Sûreté du Québec, according to Radio-Canada: « A confidential report obtained by Radio-Canada shows that the collaborative relationship between Aéroports de Montréal and the Montreal Police Service had deteriorated. The Montreal Police Service (SPVM) is losing the airport security contract at Montreal-Trudeau after more than 20 years, in favor of the Sûreté du Québec. With the exception of one criterion, the SQ’s score was better at all levels. Whether in terms of training, requirements, action plan, or deployment plan. Therefore, when considering all the criteria, it was clear at that time that the SQ offered us much more for the projects. The Sûreté du Québec plans for the team to include 41 officers, 13 more than the current SPVM team, which has 28. »
The Sûreté du Québec Could Very Well Restore Order in the Village
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) could potentially ensure order in the Village, which is clearly the most criminalized area in Quebec. According to Québec.ca, « the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is the provincial police force. It also provides specialized services throughout the Quebec territory to support municipal police forces. The SQ’s mission is to prevent and suppress violations of laws across Quebec and to enforce municipal regulations in the areas where it provides municipal police services. » However, for the Sûreté du Québec to intervene, a request from the City of Montreal would be necessary, and we all know that Mayor Valérie Plante is unlikely to make such a request. Alternatively, the Government of Quebec, which has jurisdiction over Montreal, could instruct the city to allow the SQ to assist the SPVM. Will Premier Legault make such a decision? A site visit would certainly give him a clearer picture…
Could the Canadian Army Be Involved?
The Canadian Armed Forces (officially known as His Majesty’s Canadian Forces) have a mandate for military defense and assisting governments in cases of natural disasters, such as major floods or forest fires. Several commentators on social media are questioning whether the army could intervene in Montreal to restore law and order. While the idea is intriguing, the army is composed of soldiers, not police officers, and since the events of October 1970, when military personnel intervened in Montreal under the War Measures Act (now abolished), it would be very surprising for the army to intervene today. Such an intervention would require the unanimous support of Montreal’s elected officials, Quebec, and Canada, as well as nearly absolute social acceptability for the Canadian Prime Minister to issue such a mandate. Even if there were daily murders in the Village, it seems unlikely that the Canadian Army would be deployed.
Conclusion
Although we generally perceive the Village as being in social and economic crisis, most readers and even visitors to the Village are far from knowing the exact reality of what is happening at Place du Village and several other hotspots in the area. The situation is severe and out of control. It will require considerable political determination to begin regaining control of « Villagestan. » The rhetoric about coexistence and good neighborliness no longer reflects the reality on the ground. Municipal elections in Montreal are just over a year away. The party that addresses the Village issue head-on in its platform and proposes credible, serious, and forceful solutions to restore what was once the most beautiful gay Village in the world will be certain to win the election. However, beware: Montrealers are not fooled. Nice words are no longer enough. What voters want to see are concrete actions, not just bike lanes and orange cones, because you may not know it, but there is none of that at Place du Village. It’s too dangerous!