Nunavik House is an essential part of our community. Many of us have stayed there or have had a family member stay there over the years for treatment at one of Montreal's many hospitals. Nunavik House is situated on St-Jacques street near Upper Lachine road. Drugs and crime in this area are only a tip of the iceberg. Many "locals" take advantage of our kids and young adults by selling drugs to them and invite them into their homes. At 2035 and 2045 Grand boulevard a group of vietnamese gangs and several white men have been selling drugs including crack cocaine to our young people. Some of our kids have been forced to sell booze and drugs for for these creeps to pay debts to these drug dealers. Many of these dealers have drug problems of their own so it's a nice windfall for them. This has been going on for years in this area but this past year has been by far the worse and we have absolutely no way of knowing if this will end. As a parent, I have witnessed people in my own family come back from there with bruises and horror stories and having no money because of gambling machines at AlloBar right next to Hampton. The neighbourhood at night is a real problem for our young people.
This past year we have had a young lady from Inukjuak that almost died jumping from a third floor balcony in attempt to escape a robbery at gunpoint at the adress mentioned above and a few weeks ago a man was attacked in the middle of the night was very close to death and is still in a coma. Someone found him on the floor of the same adress on Grand Boulevard. A 15 year old Nunavik girl was forced to engage in sex with a vietnamese man much older then her and was so scared she agreed but only after being drugged. The same man is sitting in jail right now facing serious charges relating to an attempted murder. Only a fraction of the incidents get reported to police but these crimes are going on only a few hundred feet from Nunavik House. The same building has other people preying on on our young people, a witness told me it's a regular hangout. Several apartments in the same building are know as late night hangouts where drugs and alcohol are always in abundance. The neighbourhood has at least a half dozen other bad places that are similar but this building is by far the worse. Many miss their appointments the next day because they were out drinking or taking drugs the night before.
Nunavik House has hired security from the from the community and as an inuk I share the same opinion along with many others, these people have absolutely no understanding or respect for the inuit community and treat us like kids.
It seems to me that they hired thugs that would be unemployed if it wasnt for the kind people from the north that employ the qallunaat and others at this facility.
I am beginning to believe Nunavik House security are part of them problem. Many feel so unconfortable to stay at Nunavik House or Hampton that they look for any alternative and that's why bars and these NDG gangsters prey on our young people.
We need to do something now before anyone else gets killed or seriously injured.
Please spread the word about NDG and what goes on at night. The police or the "so-called" security at Nunavik House will not protect our young people, it's up to you to tell people to be extra careful and never walk alone at night. Community action is needed to remind people about the dangers of the big city and not to trust anyone, especially if the person appears unusually friendly or invites guests over to their house.
It it also important to mention that in the area is a known hangout for Montreal's mafia and all the problems that are associated with it. In december a the son of the leader of the mafia in Canada was killed at the corner of Wilson road and Upper Lachine, a couple hundred feet from Hampton house. A few weeks later, two more mafia associates were gunned down at Petro-Canada/McDonalds around half a mile further west. Many of the local residents are now very scared to go out at night, a recent article in the Monitor has many saying that with these problems and the local drug problem, they plan on moving out.
http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20091228/mtl_shooting_091228/20091229/So%20You%20Think%20You%20Can%20Dance%20Canada
You can view this adress on GOOGLE EARTH
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&source=hp&q=maps&aql=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
http://www.nunatsiaq.com/archives/nunavut010131/nvt10112_11.html
ReplyDeleteThis was 10 years ago !!
The drugs are not the cause, These people have to decide to go to the drugs, They have a choice, stay at Nunavik house and get their treatment taken care of or go out drink and get drugs.
ReplyDeleteIt's a choice, you can put Nunavik house in the safest part of Montreal, The problems will still be there, There will be people going out to get alcohol and drugs.
You will never get rid of drugs and alcohol, You need to work on the people.
Things happen in places. Not just NDG.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that moving to a different area could in theory be safer, at least from physical abuses and assaults. But it WILL NOT deter people from drinking or doing drugs.
It is a persons choice to do what they want. And they will find a way if they desire.
The area is very bad and getting worse. What we can do???
ReplyDeleteAt least get the Inuit Hospitol transit out of the area, all are not prone to drugs and alcohol. At least try to get the elders and young ones out from NDG, for I can recall while I had to stay at Nunavik House for at least 4 weeks that some freak, as I may say, just walked up to us, walking down the street, saw us and started shouting when we had nothing do to with his mishaps out from nowhere. It scared the heck out of us. Incedent like these have happen. Even a young woman was brought to the Nunavik house naked, raped with bruises. I can go on of such stories of similiar things. I'm happy that this is brought out to have attention and hoping the process will get faster for the transit to be moved elsewhere for the sake of our elders and young.
ReplyDeleteWE NEED NUNAVIK HOUSE GONE FROM NDG
ReplyDeleteWE NEED BLACK SECURITY GONE, THEYRE UNFRIENDLY
WE NEED OUR OWN PEOPLE TO BE IN CHARGE THERE, NOT PEOPLE FROM MONTREAL
I stayed there be4 & I never want to go back again, the workers their make you feel unwelcome + why the hell is it in ndg?!
ReplyDeleteThat place is going nowhere with all these crime's, my grandmother's stay's @ Hampton, I'm always worried of her, I want her to come back in 1 piece!, We should really do something about this place, this is NOT Healthy!!!!!!!!
I thought they were going to move it to dorval few years ago, why are they still in ndg?
ReplyDeletethe food is just awful and the security makes me sick
ReplyDeleteWe need to fix our problems up north before we can start to fix south. about nunavik house next time Iwill stay in hotel
ReplyDeleteFor fullblooded,
ReplyDeleteyou don't have to be raises about black people working for our inuit, i think there really good people, and i think we need people from montreal working for the nunavik house if it was only inuit working in that place it wouldent be safe at all.
When i was pregnant last year the sevice was not good, i even had to get a hotel for 3 weeks until i got my baby, nunavik house needs to be comfy for pregnant woman the bed sucked like you were sleeping on the foor at 8 months pregnant
ReplyDeleteSide note: Please get your stuff proof read before publishing. Reading these blogs are hurting my head.
ReplyDeleteMight help if you want to be taken seriously.
jeannie from wakeham
ReplyDeletei was there too get my panik 7 years ago, we couldnt stand the food, so we went to the resterant for supper it was a nice evening so we walked back,then right beside the nunavik house, car passed by and threw a beer bottle at us me paniks dad and some guy from inukjuaq an elderly, oh my it scared the hell out of me,then ask for x-mas gift imagine!!!
The nunavik house is in Saint-Jacque because its half way to the hospitals and half way to the airport thats the good thing about where it is but it's in a bad environment that has crime all the time. If they move it to Dorval patients that are in bad conditions wont have time to go to the hospitals if they eventually move it. And we all know that the non-inuit workers are soo mean but atleast they have security because what i have heard is before they had security's the patients escorts used to disturb the other patients with alcohol related and the police had to be called and the patients would loose the escorts...In my openion they should move it to a place that has less crime but that is half way from the hospitals and the airport. Think well before you judge the workers or the security's because its our own fault (escorts who weren't good escorts like who were drunk at the nunavik house or abusing drugs) that their is security now.
ReplyDeleteI know that place is a problem for inuit, that don't know what there doing, and don't know where there going at. and I know for a fact that drugs and alcohol are a big problem for nunavimmiut, WHY, it start with us the USERS, when we find a guy A WANNABE DEALER we start saying hey we buy 1 gram for 50 bucks or 100 bucks for a mickey, so they come to us wanting the big bucks from us inuit, who live off from the parents salary. STOP being a wannabe druggy cool-laujurik or something. just say wouldn't you have something for 10 bucks stop saying we buy a gram for 50 bucks.cause that 50 bucks came from mostly from your parents pocket. start being smart because drugs and alcohol are going to be for a long time STOP SAYING THAT YOU HAVE ALOT OF MONEY, THAT YOU DON'T HAVE AND START LOOKING FOR WAY TO BUY CHEAPER DRUGS, CAUSE IT DOESN'T COST 50 BUCKS IN MONTREAL. tupaliritsi inuuqatikkaa
ReplyDeleteJust for getting away form the violence, moving to a safer neighborhood is a good idea. Just don't think that it is going to fix all the problems. You are still going to need security. There are still going to be inuks going out, drinking and doing drugs.
ReplyDeleteThere are the occasional innocents that will get assaulted for either no reason, or because people are going to think that they do have money because of all the other inuks that go around flaunting their money, especially when we get out checks. But that happens in any inuk populated area due to those of us that are unable to keep to themselves.
Yes, if you want drugs or whatever, if you gotta, fine, no one can stop you. But don't go around saying it's $50 up north and so much cheaper here. You WILL be putting yourself out there for being naive.
Everyone has heard stories of one person or another. Use that information and stop being taken advantage of.
Yes, it is better if you just don't do it, but not everyone can be so fortunate as to not be so overwhelmed by the possibility of "easy drugs". So, for those people, I say be careful and be smart about it.
Those of you that are just in Montreal for your treatments, I hope they do move Nunavik house to a better area.
I've started a petition to have Nunavik House relocated. Please sign if you truly believe it should be moved.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.petitiononline.com/nunavik/petition.html
you can read my post at
http://itsnever-blackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/02/ndg-is-unsafe-for-inuit-relocate.html
This is how we are loosing our culture, drugs, alcohol, abuse of any kind. I agree that Nunavik-House is not in a safe spot, and encourage Inuit to spread this message. We do not like to hear our fellow Inuit being harrassed or hurt, and let's not ignore this and put into action.
ReplyDeleteI really hope they move it to a safer place. The elders of Nunavik are need help with translaters and the young ones needs to be more smarter being in Montreal escort to an elder or who can't speak english.
ReplyDeletePlease get smarter Nunavikmiuts. going hospital in Montreal is not a juke and it cost alot of money just to go there and get fixed.
Finally! This came out! I was wondering when we'd stop pretending that no alcohol or drugs are on the process even as we are told that they are NOT TOLERATED! Yeah RIGHT! Good management 1st, then we're on our way to a better situation! So are we finally getting real with the SURROUNDING AREA TOO? Each & everyone of us ALL can see that it is dangerous big time. I mean what were they thinking? DUH!
ReplyDeleteOf course it's going to be around anywhere we go, but at least we would be set in a safer better environment. This is in regards to the guys who say that it's inevitable for drugs and alcohol. Stop assuming that all Inuit are alcohol and drug abusers.
ReplyDeleteAtleast move it to lasalle
ReplyDeleteWe need a solution pretty soon. Ungava and Hudson must now be friends.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people have substance abuse problems when they're at home, hard to imagine why it would be different in Montreal. Nunuavik House is well aware of this but what can they do.
ReplyDeletethey should have place for drunk on that house in seperate room just to make it over night ,security is there to help not just to take money ,whats his f@#king job and why should it be so f@#king easy for him
ReplyDeletelets get serious folks, we go to montreal if we need medical care that we can get in out hometown. We should not have to worry about these problems. We pay taxes not like indians, we deserve the best care and we demand it
ReplyDeleteAfter reading these comments can you now understand why the people of Villeray dont want this transit. Northern problems with alcohol.drugs and sexual abuse need to be confronted. This constant victimization,everyones fault but ours, is getting the Inuit nowhere. Nunavik is in crisis yet all we here about is poor us they dont love us. Its not the Inuit its the drugs,booze and abuse and the behaviours they cause. Look in the mirror and ask what you have done to help your brothers and sisters.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the previous comment. These problems do exist, this is a fact. However, these people come here for medical assistance is sometimes life threathening cases. Keep your comments to yourself next time. Some people will be offeded but this is nonsense.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you some people will be offended and for that I am sorry.People who come for medical care should be taken care off, but get your head out of the sand.Northern social ills are now defining the Inuit in the South, No longer culture,language or traditions and all the beautiful aspects of Inuit life but homeless urban inuit and people abusing drugs and alcohol are now what Southerners see and they are legitimately frightened. Read the post ,read the comments from fellow inuit ,they know. The time has come to use this opportunity to look deep into Nunavik and start being honest with whats going on.When people are frightened to have Nuniviummiut as neighbors it says alot. Aida you know this is not nonsense.
ReplyDeleteyou're absolutely right. Well said. We need some of brilliant people that manage quite fine to get involved.
ReplyDeleteMattiusi I am not sure your facts are correct
ReplyDeleteWe will not tolerate such abuse on the site. Watch your language please.
ReplyDelete