No resolution to Milton-Park crisis
There’s been lots of talk but there’s been no resolution to the humanitarian crisis happening right in the heart of Montreal, at the corner of Milton and Park Avenue. A spokesman says the city wants to help but that funding is not forthcoming from the Quebec government to create a permanent place to live, plus necessary support, for the indigenous people who gather around that intersection.
Chris 09:15 on 2022-10-18 Permalink
I think the article itself is right to put “humanitarian crisis” in quotes. As tragic as it is, we’re talking about tens of people here. Every definition of “humanitarian crisis” I can find refers to a *very large* group of people. If we use terms like this for small tragedies, what do you then call large ones to distinguish them by their largeness? (None of this is to say these people shouldn’t be helped, I’m just feeling linguistically pedantic I guess.)
Kate 11:14 on 2022-10-18 Permalink
They’re not scare-quoting it to say it’s fake, they’re putting quotes around an expression that the city ombudsman used in a report.
There’s no statutory size for a humanitarian crisis. The awful thing about this one is it’s not over there somewhere. It’s right in the heart of the city and yet we can’t find the resources or the right strategy to resolve it.