City to requisition a hotel for the homeless
Mayor Plante says the city will requisition a hotel to house the homeless, but she hasn’t said which one yet. The state of emergency has been extended.
In general, police are going to be stricter about breaking up gatherings and making sure nonessential businesses stay closed.
Further measures, such as asking people not to stray more than one kilometre from their homes, or for only one person in a household to go out shopping at a time, haven’t yet been put in place.
The Orthodox Jewish community in Boisbriand has been placed under quarantine. There are 4000 people in that community and anywere between ten and twenty have tested positive – numbers differ.
Alison Cummins 13:15 on 2020-03-30 Permalink
I’m glad about the hotel.
Since this is a long-haul project, what about people with tenuous housing situations – say, people with small children living with a violent alcoholic?
It might be better for people who have the space to take a roommate, rather than require single people to live alone in permanent lockdown. (I wouldn’t mind taking in a roommate in theory, but in practice I would worry quite a bit if it wasn’t someone I knew well.)
Ephraim 14:31 on 2020-03-30 Permalink
Wouldn’t it be easier to requisition a dorm… Concordia cleared theirs. McGill has encouraged people to leave. And UQAM should offer them to CHUM staff that don’t want to go home and put their family at risk.
Spi 16:28 on 2020-03-30 Permalink
I’m not familiar with the state of each institution’s dorm, but hotels make sense because they all have individual bathrooms and don’t have shared amenities like kitchens and living space. I know the new rez at McGill could meet those criteria (being a former hotel). Putting a lot of people in a space where they share a lot of the basics (bathroom/kitchen) defeats the purpose of social isolation.
Ephraim 18:03 on 2020-03-30 Permalink
Most dorms are a lot more robust, furniture and fixture wise. I’m sure some of them must have their own bathrooms. Remember, the city will be responsible for damages. So maybe a hotel that is looking to refurb… because they are going to be hard on the property.
Joey 08:42 on 2020-03-31 Permalink
@Ephraim recall that the dorms had to be shuttered because they were too conducive to gatherings. Anyway, I’m not sure why it would have been “easier” to requisition a dorm than a hotel. I say put the homeless up in the fanciest hotels until the pandemic is over. Let’s start with the renovated Queen E.