« I believe I have a uniquely informed view on the subject of homelessness and addiction that are going on in Milton Park, » John Tessier, a Movement Montreal candidate in the Plateau district, said on Tuesday. PHOTO BY ALLEN MCINNIS /Montreal Gazette
John Tessier isn’t your typical politician.
The ex-convict, ex-drug addict, and now an intervention officer at the Open Door day shelter announced Tuesday he will run in the coming municipal election in the Jeanne-Mance district of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough. He’ll be the candidate for Balarama Holness’s Movement Montreal, against incumbent Projet Montréal councillor Alex Norris, running with Valérie Plante’s team. Denis Coderre’s Ensemble Montréal has not yet declared a candidate for the district.
“I believe I have a uniquely informed view on the subject of homelessness and addiction that are going on in Milton Park,” Tessier said Tuesday morning after declaring his candidacy. “We hear a lot about what the government should be doing and what the city could do better. If I’m offered an opportunity to be part of that solution, I think it would be hypocritical or at least irresponsible not to take that opportunity to try to be a direct influence.”
With an increase in homelessness throughout the city, this could become a key issue in the election, still more than three months away. Speaking alongside Tessier at the Milton B coffee shop on Parc Ave., Holness accused Plante of ignoring the problem, which has worsened since the Open Door moved from Cabot Square to Parc Ave.
“Right now, it’s being swept under the rug and the situation is being aggravated,” he said. “We’re seeing that through multiple deaths, police interventions, accidents, additional drug and alcohol abuse in the area.”
Holness said his team would focus on addressing the root causes of homelessness, by finding permanent housing and a place for the homeless to gather safely during the day to receive services. Tessier would take charge of the situation at Milton Park, where homeless Montrealers are clashing with area residents and businesses.
“I’m not going to pretend I have all the answers, but I know you can’t push them away,” Tessier said. “We need to try to solve it from the inside out. My dream would be to have a centre with 24-hour support where they could be housed and where they can live with dignity, and also take the next step and move on to the next phase in their lives if that’s what they choose to do.”
Locals say they are frustrated with the situation, as it has diminished their quality of life and hurt their businesses. They say there is constant screaming in the area. They often see people having sex in the alleys, drinking on the corners, or sleeping on the sidewalk, blocking people from passing. They also often see needles littering the area.
Sandrine Rhodius, who owns a bed and breakfast in the area, said she continually emails members of the Plante administration asking for help, but her letters have gone unanswered. She also doesn’t express confidence in Tessier to solve the problem if he wins a seat in city hall.
Reached Tuesday afternoon, Norris said he welcomes the challenge from Tessier.
He said his administration has been striving to provide better services in the area, but the problem isn’t one that can be solved easily or quickly.
“I don’t think there has ever been an administration that has done as much as we have to improve services for homeless people,” Norris said. “We requisitioned hotels, we opened new day centres. We financed street workers, groups that work with the homeless. We financed Open Door and helped it transition from a service that was only open in the daytime to a 24-hour service. We protected rooming houses with new bylaws, and we have a bylaw that includes social housing units in new residential projects.”
Norris said services for homeless people are a key concern of the Plante administration, but the city also has to work with provincial and federal governments to open new shelters and provide more help.
“I understand the residents that are upset by this phenomenon and they have every right to be,” he said. “What I can say is that we’re doing everything in our power to improve the situation.”
