Quebec premier announces $28M for warming centres, emergency shelters

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, right, holds a press conference to announce emergency aid for unhoused people across 16 regions of Quebec as Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada looks on, in Montreal on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Quebec’s premier is promising to bring a newfound political will to the battle against homelessness, as he announced $28 million in emergency funding.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon announced the new funding on Friday in Montreal, in his first major announcement since he was sworn in as premier on Wednesday.

St-Pierre Plamondon, who has also named himself homelessness minister, said the money is in addition to $18 million that was previously allocated, bringing the total amount to $46 million.

“I think in order to succeed, we need to be facing directly the nature of the problem, not pretend it’s not there,” he told journalists. “It’s the first step. Then you need to take political will, to show political will. And that’s what we’re doing today.”

St-Pierre Plamondon said the money will go toward adding 1,000 new spots in warming centres and emergency shelters across Quebec.

The Montreal area, which is home to nearly half of the province’s unhoused population, is slated to get $18 million out of the total.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada joined the premier for the announcement at the shelter Accueil Bonneau.

She said she is thrilled the new provincial government has made homelessness its first order of business.

She said the city had come up with a homelessness strategy for the winter, but needed $20 million from the provincial government to implement its plan.

“All our Montrealers, our citizens, our Quebecers that are in the streets deserve to have a roof over their heads and that’s what we have to aim for,” said the mayor. “Having this announcement today makes that a reality and it’s the first step in the shared objective.”

The announcement comes days after media reported that a woman experiencing homelessness died in Sorel-Tracy, Que.

The premier said the woman tried to access a shelter she frequently visited, but there was not enough room for her.

“That’s not a narrative we can accept as a society. It doesn’t work,” said St-Pierre Plamondon. “Quebec … is among the wealthiest places in the world, and we will do whatever it takes to restore dignity for everyone.”

Quebec’s chief coroner has ordered a public inquiry into the deaths of five individuals experiencing homelessness in Montreal between Sept. 23, 2025 and March 25, 2026.

The Quebec coroner’s office has investigated the deaths of 500 people experiencing homelessness since 2020, according to St-Pierre Plamondon.

The premier added that the government will hold a summit on homelessness, as proposed by former premier Pauline Marois, in early 2027.

The summit will gather key actors from the community sector and all levels of government to identify the causes of homelessness and their remedies.

“There’s addiction, mental health problems, the housing crisis,” said the premier, adding he has been inspired by the “housing-first” model seen in Finland and Texas, where those experiencing homelessness are provided with homes and psychosocial support.

While Friday’s announcement is solely for emergency services, he said his government will work to implement long-term solutions, such as providing community organizations with recurring funding and building 20,000 subsidized housing units.

He said the previous administration had prioritized “affordable” housing run by the private sector and non-profit organizations.

“Social housing is making a comeback,” said St-Pierre Plamondon. “I remember that, right from the start of the 2018 term, they claimed that the private sector would take care of it. And look where that got us.”

He also pledged to implement policies to “balance” the housing market.

He said that once housing supply outpaces demand, landlords and developers will no longer have an incentive to have high tenant turnover or to hike rents beyond what is recommended by the province’s housing tribunal.

“Until we restore the market to equilibrium, it’s going to be difficult because we can’t monitor the honesty of each of the nine million people on our territory,” he said.

Alia Hassan-Cournol, executive director of women’s shelter La rue des Femmes, said she feels optimistic about the new sums, despite not yet knowing how much will be allocated to her organization.

“We really hear the change in tone,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2026.

Erika Morris, The Canadian Press