Mélissa Gélinas LJI Reporter

One of the very first users of the Transition Village containers, Jean-François Bourgon, was evicted on January 18, after living in the container for only 17 days.

Bourgon allegedly did not comply with the regulations established by Transition Village. He smoked inside the container and did not clean it properly. As a result, recurring visits were made. “They entered my container whenever they wanted,” said Bourgon. However, according to the regulations, regular visits had to be made. “In the regulations, we ask people to accept visits from the intervention team,” said Nancy Martineau, General Manager of Transition Village.

In total, there are 23 regulations to be respected in the Memorandum of Understanding. When these are not respected, a procedure is implemented. “First, there are verbal warnings,” explained Martineau. “After that, we give a formal written notice that explains the verbal warnings and the dates they were given. We then inform the person that they have 24 hours to leave the Village.”

“I felt like I was in a boot camp because of the regulations,” emphasized Bourgon. “They put cameras all over the territory. There were none before.”

Bourgon had to get rid of all his belongings before accessing the container. Indeed, each new user must get rid of their tent, trailer and any other material goods to maximize space on the site. “I gave my wood stove to a friend, my winter canvas and my tents,” he continues. “When I left on January 18, I found myself with absolutely nothing. Due to the cold snap, the only thing I thought about was getting warm.”

For these reasons, Bourgon took several steps with a lawyer, Me Nancy-Line St-Amour of Outaouais legal aid. A formal notice signed by the lawyer was sent to Transition Village. This document mentions that this type of accommodation, although it is of a transitional nature, includes a contract with clauses of the nature of a housing lease under the Civil Code of Québec. As a result, a request to reinstate Bourgon to his container within 24 hours was issued. However, the village was not able to reinstate him. In addition, no details regarding the situation were provided.

A letter signed by Benoit Leblanc, Executive Director of Itinérance Zéro, that included several questions about the situation, was sent to several political actors, including the Mayor of Gatineau Maude Marquis-Bissonnette, the Premier of Quebec François Legault, as well as several municipal councillors and members of parliament, including Suzanne Tremblay, MNA for Hull.

“We expect greater tolerance and better support for the homeless,” said Leblanc. “If we want to help this person progress, we must not exclude him.”

Photo: Container at Transition Village (October 17, 2024) (MG) Photo: Transition Facebook Page