Latest news with #loitering
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
STM revives loitering ban in Montreal Metro to help improve safety
Social Sharing Montreal's transit agency announced Wednesday it is reintroducing a ban on loitering in the city's Metro system to increase safety for commuters and employees. The measure starts Wednesday and will be in place until April 30, 2026. The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) said the decision to bring it back was made following positive results of a six-week pilot project in early spring. At the time, the STM cited increased safety concerns in the Metro linked to rising homelessness, criminal activity and public drug use. "Why we're coming back with that move-along order is because it works. It works for our clients, for our employees." said Éric Alan Caldwell, the STM's board chair, at a news conference on Wednesday. Decrease in crime during pilot project, STM says The STM provided data in a news release showing improvements in safety for the month of April, compared to the same month last year. Crime and offences were down two per cent, while assaults on employees dropped 20 per cent. The STM also noted 30 per cent fewer service disruptions and 17 per cent fewer people being escorted out of the Metro at closing time. Meanwhile, the STM has said that addressing safety concerns has come at a cost, with $11 million invested to hire more staff, such as special constables who are trained to help direct people to the proper resources when leaving the Metro. There's also a hidden cost in lost revenue, as people cancel trips because they feel unsafe. The STM estimates that number could be as high as $1.2 million per month. Caldwell said, however, that by improving security, the STM can refocus on its primary mission, which is to provide safe and reliable public transit. Groups working with unhoused people in Montreal said they understand the situation, but the measures don't really solve the problem. Better solutions needed In a news release, the Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), said the ban is exacerbating the situation for many vulnerable people because it's being implemented amid a housing crisis and at a time when community organizations are overwhelmed. While RAPSIM said that Metro users' perceived sense of security may have improved during the pilot project, the safety of people experiencing homelessness has been compromised. "Several outreach workers reported losing contact with people with whom they had established a relationship of trust," said RAPSIM director Annie Savage. RAPSIM added that women are especially impacted by the ban, as they often try to conceal their situation and seek out crowded places, like the Metro, for safety reasons. "These spaces offer them relative protection from harassment, intimidation, theft and street violence, to which they are particularly exposed," the release reads. Caldwell acknowledged that the ban on loitering wasn't a "magic solution," and that community organizations and the health network need more resources. Over the course of the next year, the STM will continue to collect data on the impacts of the ban. Caldwell said he believes it will help highlight the needs of its different partners and how to better answer those needs. He reiterated, however, that the Metro can't be a shelter. "We will intervene and we will offer to the people that we are asking to move along if they need help, if they need to get to specific resources and how can we help them get there," Caldwell said. "We will often organize transport so that they get there." RAPSIM, however, is urging the STM to consider alternative solutions and pointed to a project in Philadelphia where a subway station was transformed into drop-in centre for people experiencing homelessness. "This type of approach helps raise public awareness and create inclusive spaces. Rather than displacing homeless people outside, we offer them a local response that facilitates their recovery," Savage said.
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
Anti-loitering order back in effect in Montreal's metro
Cyclists can now bring their bikes on REM trains until July 4, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Loitering is once again banned from Montreal's metro network, and the 'move-along' order will be in place until the end of April 2026, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) announced Wednesday. The STM said the measures, which were in place for six weeks in the spring, yielded positive results regarding safety and maintenance. But advocates for the homeless population say it could harm those who have nowhere else to go. The rules 'led to a noticeable increase in the sense of safety among both customers and employees, as well as a reduction in service interruptions caused by disruptive behaviour,' said Éric Alan Caldwell, chair of the STM board of directors in a news release. He said that reimplementing the measures in the summer will give the city time to plan for the winter months when some homeless people take refuge from the cold in metro stations. 'We recognize, however, that this is not an ideal solution. The real solution will be a tangible and sustainable response to help the vulnerable, including more funding for resources, all year long,' said Caldwell. The STM said 'physical measures,' mainly partitioning off access to certain areas and making open spaces smaller, will be in place at eight stations: Charlevoix Peel Places-des-Arts Beaudry Pie-IX Bonaventure Place-d'Armes Côte-Vertu The STM's anti-loitering rules were implemented mid-March after a reported surge in service interruptions and criminal behaviour, including drug use, that led to some customers feeling less safe in the metro. During the six-week period when the anti-loitering order was in effect from March to April, crimes and offences went down by two per cent, people being escorted out at closing time went down by 17 per cent, there was a 30 per cent reduction in service disruptions, and the reported sense of safety went up by eight points (all compared to April 2024), according to the STM's report. Impact on homeless population By bringing back and extending the move-along order, the STM wants to collect more data on the impact of anti-loitering orders on its operations and 'maintain stability' and hygiene standards. Advocates for Montreal's homeless population say they are worried the measure will only increase their vulnerability. The Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM)'s director, Annie Savage, said intervention workers reported losing contact with people with whom they had built a trusting relationship. 'In the long term, these measures undermine essential prevention and support efforts carried out by the community, contributing to increased vulnerability and need among people experiencing homelessness,' she said in a statement. The RAPSIM said women will be the most impacted by the STM's order, since many of them hide in the metro to conceal their homelessness and feel safer in busy areas. 'These spaces offer them relative protection from harassment, intimidation, theft and street violence, to which they are particularly exposed,' they said. The STM has said it wants to refer homeless people who spend time in the metro network to appropriate resources, like Mission St. Michaels. But RAPSIM says those are stretched thin and are often overflowing which means people will simply be displaced. Savage says the STM is losing an opportunity to put its resources toward inclusive resources by instead using a chunk of its budget to increase surveillance and security. She pointed to an initiative in Philadelphia, which turned a metro station into a shelter where people can rest, have coffee, do their laundry and receive essential care. The STM stressed that the move-along order will not be applied systematically and its special constables will take several factors into consideration during interventions to avoid tension. In its report, the STM requested Montreal open 24/7 high-threshold resources near Berri-UQAM and Bonaventure stations, increase funding for Mission St. Michaels services and ensure emergency accommodations from early November to late April 'for more sustainable solutions.'
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stricter loitering laws move forward in Pueblo
(PUEBLO, Colo.) — City leaders in Pueblo are moving forward with another attempt to try and address homelessness in the city. In a six-to-one vote on Monday, June 9, Pueblo City Council approved an ordinance that adds lying down into the city's definition of loitering. 'It also further defines how loitering, what loitering looks like and how will be defined,' said Harley Gifford, a Deputy City Attorney for the City of Pueblo. Another of the changes means people caught breaking the rules cannot say there was no sign banning loitering as a defense. No one spoke out in favor of the resolution on Monday evening, but two people who made public comment spoke against the changes. 'This amendment, again, is going to target the homeless people here in Pueblo, Colorado,' said one community member. 'It's not fair to people who don't have a place to stay, to not be able to be anywhere.' Councilmember Joe Latino introduced the measure to the council. Latino also introduced a no sit-lie ordinance earlier this year. While the original measure moved forward in March, the council later voted it down in a five-to-two vote in April. The latest change will also bring about a harsher punishment when it comes to loitering. 'It's [loitering] going to go to a class one municipal offense, which is a $1,000 fine and up to 364 days in jail,' Gifford said. Those who spoke out against the ordinance add the city's recently-created commission on homelessness needs time to get its legs under it in order to find solutions. 'If we just give the commission time to do its work, working on the one problem that we're concentrating on, homelessness, and leave all these stupid laws for another city to punish people, I think we can really make some good progress,' a community member said. Pueblo Mayor Heather Graham would have to sign this before it officially becomes law. If it does move forward, it would go into effect 30 days after the mayor's approval. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
