“This is where they come, and the city encourages it because they try to say this is an inclusive area. I think the mentality is that the gay community is more open to marginality than the rest of the city.”
He pointed to the city’s decision during the COVID-19 pandemic to temporarily convert a large hotel in the area into a homeless shelter. “It imported to the Village problems that are not specific to the Village,” Généreux said. The Village has long been a hub for community organizations and services for marginalized people, said Bruno Laprade, a spokesperson for an LGBTQ organization and local historian who has been giving tours of the neighbourhood for 17 years. Commercial vacancies following the deindustrialization of the area in the 20th century meant non-profits and other groups could take advantage of lower rents, he explained.
Danny Jobin, owner of three bars on Ste-Catherine Street, said he has noted a decline in business as the number of unhoused people on the streets grows, and he wants the city to take action. “We need a lot of help from the government and the city,” he said.