Nunavik House is a home-away-from-home for Inuit receiving medical treatment in Montreal, and their families (June 2, 2010)Updated: Thu Jun. 03 2010 9:56:53 AM
ctvmontreal.ca
People living in Montreal's Villeray district are upset that a centre for Inuit-Canadians is moving into their neighbourhood.
Nunavik House is a home away from home for many Inuit who are getting medical treatment in Montreal, but the aging facility is outdated, and too small to care for patients and house their relatives.
Betsy Putugu, who has been staying in Nunavik House for the past three weeks, says it is better than facilities in the far north.
Her daughter is pregnant, and at risk of having another premature baby. Coming to Montreal for treatment was the best option.
"We have no choice," Putugu said. "We have a small hospital up north from, where I live, but it doesn't have what she needs after giving a premature baby."
However Putugu and her daughter would like to be in a quieter neighbourhood than Nunavik House's St. Jacques street location.
"It's a very busy street. It's busy at some hours," said Putugu.
That's just one of the reasons a move is in the works to a former Chinese hospital in Villeray.
Villeray residents concerned
But this week, people who live in Villeray packed a borough council meeting to voice their objections.
Karen Bernier, a grandmother who lives in Villeray, is worried that re-opening the hospital as a care centre for northern residents will bring drugs and crime to the area.
"Why is it they always put it in Villeray or places like that, and not in Westmount or Outremont?" asked Bernier.
Notary Nicholas Polyzos is afraid his neighbourhood's cohesion will be threatened by the change.
"We are now going to take the people who are having the problem and move them to a safer neighborhood in expense of the neighborhood," protested Polyzos.
Patients and staff at Nunavik House don't understand why they're seen as a threat.
Anne Hickie believes that it's the neighborhood, and not the people, that is the cause of any problems.
"That's what we need for our people. That's been a plan for years now to get a safer location," Hickie said.
The move is far from a done deal, but just the hint of the centre moving has some people saying "not in my backyard."
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The federal government and the department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada must get involved here. The racism here will take years to repair. Montreal officials are allowing welfare recipients in a run down neighbourhood to treat our natives like shit without any knowledge of what the center is for. The situtation is unaceptable and as a mohawk I can say we are monitering this situation very closely. We will get involved as soon as this gets out of hand. We will be there for our inuit brothers and sisters just like any other native community in this land. We will not allow the white man to treat any native man or woman like this. The story from the media is bias and racist.
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