An annual Christmas concert in St. John’s celebrates Inuit culture, language and tradition through music. For acclaimed Inuk soprano Deantha Edmunds, the Inuit Urban Choir

MONTREAL — Social workers on the front lines of homelessness in Montreal say they feel increasingly powerless as more people find themselves forced to live in tents during the winter.

Stéphanie Lareau has worked with homeless people in Montreal for the past 20 years. Normally, the tents begin to disappear by December, but this year is different, she said.

“This is going to be the first year for me that there are so many of them, and that there aren’t many places to go. By August, I was calling shelters and they were full every day. That never used to happen before,” said Lareau.

As temperatures drop in Montreal, homeless shelters are overcrowded and warming stations — furnished with chairs, not beds — are at full capacity. Unhoused people wander around subway stations, while others sleep standing up in 24-hour restaurants. Many are pitching tents to survive the winter.

The situation has already proved deadly. On Dec. 15, a 55-year-old homeless man was found dead in a Montreal park. Authorities believe he may have died of hypothermia.

Alison Meighen-Maclean, who has worked with homeless people for the past decade at the regional health authority in east-end Montreal, said people urgently need roofs over their heads. The warming stations the city has set up this year aren’t addressing the need because they are only designed to keep people indoors for a short period of time, she said.

In early December, the Quebec government said it had housed 1,000 of the province’s homeless people — a population that stood at about 10,000, as of 2022. A new count of unhoused people in Quebec is scheduled for January 2025.

Quebec Social Services Minister Lionel Carmant said organizations supporting homeless people were behind the apparent reduction. He also credited a government program that provides mental health services while helping people find housing.

For Meighen-Maclean, the housing and homelessness crises are tied together.

“In today’s market, it’s getting back into the [housing] market once you’ve been rejected that’s very difficult,” she said, explaining that many are homeless for the first time. Some, she said, had been getting by on social assistance and were evicted or lost their job.

“Everybody who works with the homeless is feeling a lot of powerlessness on a daily basis,” said Meighen-Maclean.

Lareau said the increase started to balloon during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that the portrait of homelessness has changed. In some cases, seniors being renovicted from their apartments, she said.

“Sometimes they don’t really know the laws or their rights, so they get a bit screwed,” she said.

“Renoviction” describes a situation when a landlord cites the need for major renovations as the reason behind an eviction.

Carmant pointed out that the government has increased funding for tackling homelessness, from a five-year budget of $280 million to $410 million.

“This year, we added another $15 million, and with federal investment, it’s going to be another $25 million for the next two years. We’ve improved the plan several times, both in terms of emergency measures and housing supports,” he said in an interview.

Carmant also said he wants to see more supportive housing in the coming years.

“We talk a lot about shelters, but we have a lot of people who are still in shelters after 12, 18, 24 months,” he said, adding the goal is to give people support once they leave a shelter so they don’t return to the street.

“When they’re ready to be more independent, we put them in what we call supportive housing, where they have their own kitchen… there are no common spaces, it’s really like an apartment,” he said.

Laurie Mercure, head of the concurrent disorders, addictions and homelessness department at the east-end Montreal health authority, welcomes the promising programs. However, she said too many people are falling through the cracks — especially seniors who need apartments adapted for their needs, couples and those with pets, all of whom face additional barriers to getting housed.

Despite the uphill battle, Meighen-Maclean, Mercure and Lareau all pointed out that community organizations and intervention workers are building trust with unhoused people so that they are open to accepting help, even if it means getting someone a health insurance card, which for some is their sole piece of identification.

Sending nurses into the field also makes a difference. “I think we can prevent a person’s condition from deteriorating by going into their environment. It doesn’t matter if it’s a shelter or a camp, with nursing care we can perhaps avoid hospitalization or a trip to the emergency room,” said Meighen-Maclean, explaining that such support results in fewer 911 calls and de-escalation.

One of the goals, she said, is to accompany the person to services, so they can access care just like Quebecers who aren’t on the street. “We’re seeing improvements in access to services. But it’s not perfect. There’s still work to be done,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec 22, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

Katrine Desautels, The Canadian Press

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A homeless encampment of tents are seen near the highway in the west end of Montreal on Tuesday, Dec.10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

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Weeds, Seeds, and Garden Deeds

By Michelle Corcoran

‘Tis the time of year that many of us trek into the woods, or Christmas Tree lot, in search of the PERFECT Christmas tree.  This is followed by the journey home (after strapping it well in the back), then groaning and moaning about putting on the “lights.” only after you have them all strung do you realize parts are not working, something isn’t plugged in or burnt out. There has been many a choice word at this stage of the holidays everywhere, I have no doubt.

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Tree

1. Fresher trees are more fragrant!
2. Check for needle drop. Rub your hands through the tree and check the ground. If needles start falling off, the tree is dried out and won’t last long. If you are cutting your own tree, this is less of an issue.
3. Look for damaged branches – they may turn brown soon.
4. Choose the right variety of trees for your home. Some are less allergenic.
5. Choose the right size – ensure it will fit in your room (and door) and is not too tall!

Some Traditional Trees (there are lots more out there) Your tree lot owner will have great advice – shop local!:

Balsam Fir – classic tree, good shape, dark green, most fragrant.  Strong branches and can hold good-sized ornaments.

Fraser Fir – hardy, lasts a long time indoors, less needle drop, and has a nice scent.  It tends to have strong branches/ needles for ornaments.

Pine (Like white or Scotch) – soft needles, little scent (may be better for allergies).  This variety needs lots of watering to keep needles well.  Bows are good for greenery. Pine can be toxic to cats.

Hardwood trees – like birch or poplar. They do reasonably well with little care (other than propping up).

Caring for your tree once its home

• Freshly cut the bottom of the tree so it will absorb water better; two to three inches should do
• Keep the tree cooler; it will help keep it fresher.
• Water EVERY day (or more).  Cover the water in the tree stand so no one gets into it. Even small tree needles can cause gut issues if swallowed.
• Try a tree water preservative (add to the water) to help reduce needle drop and keep hydrated. SPECIAL NOTE: (commercial or homemade ones) can cause stomach upset in kids and pets.
• Don’t add medications like aspirin or alcohol to the water – they are harmful to a child or animal.
• Keep FIRE SAFE – trees should be at least 3 feet away from heaters, fireplaces, candles, wood stoves, etc. and make sure it doesn’t block an exit.  Trees are wood -wood is flammable.  It can take less than a minute for your whole room to catch fire.

After the holidays, look for tree recycling spots – most municipalities offer this service.  Or keep them in your backyard for the birds.

See you next year!  Happy Holidays!

The post COLUMN: O’ Christmas Tree, O’ Christmas Tree… first appeared on River Valley Sun.

Author Rachel Plotnick tells Piya Chattopadhyay how the rise, fall and return of buttons can teach us a lot about labour, culture and human-machine relationships.

After a winter that left conventional outdoor skating rinks in the Montreal area unusable for all but a handful of days, municipalities are investing in refrigerated outdoor facilities to give people more consistent access to ice.

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People in Dawson City, Yukon, gathered this week for a surprise party to mark the retirement of long-time postal worker Elaine Grandy.

For the tenth year in a row, Kuujjuamiut Inc., a socio-economic development organization in Nunavik, distributed food hampers to Inuit in Kuujjuaq — an initiative meant to fight food insecurity, but also to share Inuit values.

While modern science explains the mechanism of the aurora borealis, First Nation, Inuit and Métis knowledge, which goes back thousands of years, can help explain its meaning.

As a child, Agata Antonow rejected the Polish traditions her parents insisted on holding onto. As an adult, she’s interested in reclaiming them, but the tables have now turned.

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Some small business owners say it’s been a challenging transition to implement the tax changes, and there needs to be more clarity around which products are included.

If you're wondering what's open and closed in Ottawa over the holidays, we've made a list and checked it twice.

During one recent Christmas, this Hamilton woman was looking for a way to deal with her grief. Now, she’s helping others around the world with theirs.

For the week of Dec. 22, 2024:

The MMA Panel reconvenes for a special Christmas (and Hanukkah) edition. 

Grab an egg nog, put a log on the fire and join host Bob Mackin with guests Mario Canseco of Research Co and Andy Yan of the Simon Fraser University City Program.

Hear Mario and Andy play not-so-secret Santa and stuff the stockings of the powerful with a candy cane or lump of coal. 

Plus Pacific Rim and Pacific Northwest headlines.

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The post thePodcast: Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from theBreaker.news appeared first on theBreaker.