An Indigenous teenager was held in isolation for 48 hours in a windowless basement room at a youth protection centre in Montreal last week, a COVID-19 precaution that Indigenous rights advocates say was unnecessary and abusive.
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Three COVID-19 vaccination sites for Indigenous people ages 18 and over are opening in Montreal with the goal of offering safe spaces adapted to the needs of the community.
The project is a group effort between Montreal public health and various Indigenous community organizations as a next step in the city’s targeted vaccination campaign, which previously focused on the unhoused community and teachers and parents in areas with high cases of COVID-19.
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MONTREAL If the news of a curfew came as a shock, just imagine how it felt to people without a home to go to. We just don t know for now because it s brand new for us too… what can we do? said one person at the Open Door shelter on Thursday, a day after the announcement of the 8 p.m. COVID-19 curfew. For the group of friends at the shelter, normally evenings and nights would be spent there, too the Open Door just upgraded its space to safely sleep 65. But even those beds are now off the table, as public health recently told the shelter to have no one there after 9:30 p.m., and just 25 during the day, according to staff.
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Police will show tolerance and understanding towards the homeless population when enforcing the curfew that begins Saturday at 8 p.m., Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said Thursday.
At an online news conference to announce details of the new measures to stem the spread of COVID-19, the minister sought to calm fears among advocates for the homeless about the prospect of strict police enforcement of the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.
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Legault s comments about curfew and the homeless out of touch, advocates say
Groups working the city s homeless population are worried about how the province s curfew will affect those with no place to go. They say the premier s claim that there is enough indoor space available to prevent them from breaking curfew is out of touch.
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Posted: Jan 07, 2021 12:13 PM ET | Last Updated: January 7
Premier François Legault says there are enough shelters and warming centres to help the homeless avoid breaking curfew. Community groups disagree. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press)
Groups working with the city s homeless population are accusing Quebec s premier of being tone-deaf, after he said he expects people living on the street to abide by the province s curfew.