Latest news with #MTQ
Montreal Gazette
17 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Judge temporarily halts dismantling of Notre-Dame St. encampment
By A Quebec Superior Court judge has temporarily blocked the dismantling of the homeless encampment Notre-Dame St., ruling that it could pose 'enormous risks' to the people living there. The encampment, which is on land owned by Quebec's Transport Department, was slated to be dismantled on June 11. A legal clinic that works with unhoused people had brought the issue to court. 'In the present circumstances, the inconveniences on the lives and dignity of the people affected by the eviction outweigh all the interests that the MTQ have raised before me,' Judge Babak Barin ruled on Wednesday. Barin granted the Clinique juridique itinérante's request for a 10-day injunction, ordering the Transport Department to stop any attempts at dismantling the camp or clearing out the area. The clinic's larger argument that encampments should be permitted when homeless shelters and resources in the city are at capacity will be debated at a later date. It's believed about 30 people are living in the encampment. The clinic had argued that clearing out the area violates their Charter rights, and that dismantling the camp would leave them even more isolated in dangerous situations. Especially so, it argued, given that all of Montreal's homeless shelters are already operating at capacity, turning away dozens people each night. Representing the Transport Department, the Quebec government had argued the camp presents safety risks for those who live there. It also presented evidence from Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough officials that more than 20 calls had been made to the Montreal police department regarding the camp since January. The city's fire department also had to intervene on 27 occasions during that time period, it noted. The grassy area along Notre-Dame St. was the site of another large encampment in 2020 that was ordered dismantled after a fire broke out and nearly spread to a propane tank. Tents have come and gone in the area ever since. Another eviction was carried out there in December, after the legal clinic had managed to have it postponed. The city of Montreal has said it can't tolerate encampments because they pose a safety risk and it would rather persuade people to stay in shelters, where there is oversight and access to services. A city-commissioned report published this year stressed the negative consequences of dismantling encampments and called on the city to establish a clear protocol on the issue.
CTV News
21 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Notre-Dame encampment cannot be dismantled for 10 days, rules Quebec judge
A tent, trash and belongings at a homeless encampment on Notre-Dame street in the east end of Montreal, Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. The City of Montreal voted against declaring a state of emergency on homelessness on Nov. 18, 2024. (Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press) The encampment on Notre-Dame Street in Montreal cannot be dismantled for the next 10 days, a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled on Wednesday. In his decision, Judge Babak Barin ordered Quebec's Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTQ) to temporarily 'cease all efforts to evict homeless people living along Notre-Dame Street East.' This comes after the MTQ posted notices on June 5, 'on trees and tents belonging to some 30 marginalized and vulnerable people in Montreal' without prior warning, according to court documents. The messages warned that an eviction and complete cleaning of the area would be carried out by June 10. 'We invite you to gather your personal belongings and leave the site,' the directives stated. 'Please note that after this date, any items left behind will be discarded without further notice.' In response, the Clinique juridique itinérante (CJI) filed an emergency motion to prevent the dismantling, arguing that it would cause serious harm to the campers. It also pointed out that with shelters overflowing, the people would have nowhere to go. Contrarily, lawyers for the City of Montreal and the MTQ stressed that they were concerned about safety, including the accumulation of large structures on the site, like tents, and the frequency of police and firefighter interventions. The Superior Court judge ruled in favour of the CJI and approved the temporary injunction.
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
Bridge between Laval and Montreal to close over the weekend
The Papineau-Leblanc Bridge (A-19) will undergo construction throughout most of the next two years. (Wiki Commons) The Papineau-Leblanc Bridge connecting Montreal and Laval will be closed over the weekend for repair work. Those planning on travelling into the city or north of the island over the Rivière des Prairies should be prepared for traffic and plan trips using Waze or another app before leaving. The work will include replacing guardrails, wheel guards and bridge membrane, in addition to paving, according to the Quebec Transport Ministry (MTQ). Papineau-Leblanc Bridge (A-19) From Friday (June 20) at 10 p.m., to Monday at 5 a.m., the bridge will be closed southbound between Highway 440 (Jean-Noël-Lavoie) and Henri-Bourassa Boulevard. Northbound lanes will be closed between Henri-Bourassa Boulevard and De la Concorde Boulevard. Access to Saint-Martin Boulevard will be possible. Commuters are advised to use the Médéric-Martin Bridge on Highway 15 or the Pie-IX Bridge on Route-125. After the weekend, two lanes will be open in each direction until the end of 2026, except during overnight closures. The MTQ said all work may be cancelled due to weather or operational constraints. Current roadwork and road closures can be found on
CTV News
14-05-2025
- Automotive
- CTV News
Major road closures coming on the long weekend in Montreal
Work on the St. Laurent overpass requires workers to have access to the pillar in the Ville-Marie and Viger tunnels, and thus requires long-term closures of the left lanes in both directions. (MTQ)
CTV News
08-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Here are the Montreal-area road closures for the Mother's Day weekend
The Ville-Marie tunnel westbound will be closed on the weekend of May 9 to 12, 2025. (MTQ)
