Montreal is gearing up to unveil its winter warmth plan to assist individuals facing homelessness during the cold season. This initiative follows a tragic incident where a 50-year-old woman lost her life in a fire at a homeless encampment in Montreal North.
Authorities responded to the encampment near De Charleroi Street and Lacordaire Boulevard early Wednesday morning, discovering the unconscious woman who later passed away in the hospital. Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of the fire and the circumstances surrounding her death.
Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada emphasized the urgency of addressing homelessness, highlighting the city’s intention to seek ongoing funding from the incoming Quebec government to support the implementation of its winter plan.
Quebec’s premier-designate, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, expressed his condolences and commitment to tackling homelessness, announcing emergency funding for shelters and winter warming spaces under his new administration. He affirmed that preventing such tragedies will be a top government priority.
Martinez Ferrada is set to reveal the plan alongside key officials, including Claude Pinard and Benoit Langevin, to address access to warming spaces and other essential supports as the temperatures plummet.
