Quebec officials dismantle homeless camp under Montreal highway
MONTREAL — Officials in Quebec have dismantled a homeless camp under an elevated highway in Montreal ahead of a major road construction project and after a months-long legal battle.
The county transportation department says the last residents of the camp left this morning and department staff were clearing the site to make way for repairs to the Ville-Marie Expressway.
The ministry issued a final appeal last week for camp residents to leave the area, saying it has made storage units for personal belongings available to many of them until October.
A legal clinic representing more than a dozen camp residents has argued that their deportation threatens their lives and safety.
A Quebec Supreme Court judge in June denied the clinic’s request to delay the eviction, citing, in part, the potential negative economic and human consequences of delaying work on the highway.
The three-year, $36 million project includes repairs to the concrete structure holding the highway and the replacement of the drainage and lighting systems.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 11, 2023.
—
This story was produced with the financial support of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
