St-Roch

City announces $2-million plan for St-Roch

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

On March 18, arguing that “the house has to be in order before company comes,” Mayor Bruno Marchand announced plans to invest $2 million in city funds on a range of projects aimed at shoring up “safety and cleanliness” in the Saint-Roch sector of Lower Town.

City officials announced that a team of five people would be hired to clean public spaces in Saint-Roch, including the Jardin Jean-Paul-L’Allier, the Place de l’Université-du- Québec and the forecourt of Église Saint-Roch. Four seasonal graffiti removal workers, hired through the Carrefour Jeunesse-Emploi youth employment bureau, and four additional cleaners, part of a “cleanliness brigade” man- aged by the local Société de développement commercial (SDC), would also be hired. The Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ) will receive funding to add an undisclosed number of personnel to its Équipe MULTI community policing division, which patrols the area on foot. The remaining funds – $27,000 – will go toward planters and other urban decor to beautify the area in summer.

In recent months, residents, business owners, people who work in Lower Town and labour unions have raised concerns about safety and hygiene problems in Saint-Roch, including visible drug use and violent behaviour. Benjo, the city’s largest toy store and a Saint-Roch landmark, closed late last year, and Le Soleil recently reported that the Office québécois de la langue française is considering moving its office to another part of the city.

“When I first came here, I met some members to discuss their concerns, and what kept coming back was cleanliness and safety – not just from our members [business owners] but from their employees,” said SDC Saint-Roch director general Marie-Pier Menard. “They have to pick up the trash. When something comes up security- wise, they are told to call 311 or 911 or hire a security guard. I know of a few major employers who have hired a guard or invested in a security system.”

Menard said she hopes the measures will make a difference in the neighbourhood. “Now, people keep themselves from coming here because of the safety and cleanliness situation,” she said. “We hope residents and tourists will want to come here.”

Coun. Pierre-Luc Lachance, who represents the district of Saint-Roch–Saint-Sauveur, said the measures were put in place to help “give quality of life back to residents and businesspeople.”

The Réseau d’aide aux itinérants et itinérantes de Québec (RAIIQ), a network of organizations supporting homeless and marginalized people in the city, has raised concerns about the potential negative impacts of cleanliness drives and an increased police presence on the area’s poorest residents. Lachance has an office across the street from Lauberivière, the city’s largest homeless shelter, which moved into the area in 2022. He said he sees the shelter as an “ally” in the fight against homelessness and desperation.

“I recognize that people are dealing with safety issues, I recognize the situation and I recognize that a lot of people who are homeless or intoxicated or dealing with mental health issues can be out of control,” he said. “The pandemic was a bigger catalyst [for the homelessness crisis] than the moving of Lauberivière. People in need need resources, and Lauberivière is one.”

Lachance rejected the argument that by investing in cleanliness and beautification, the city is sweeping the localized homelessness cri- sis under the rug. “We’re not just investing in cleanliness,” he said, noting that the city had invested $1 million in homelessness prevention and outreach efforts in 2025, and had repeatedly called on other levels of government to invest more in social services, supported housing and support for community organizations. “We want to have more workers and residents, more resources in place to help people in crisis, and a clean neighbourhood.”