MONTREAL, QC CANADA -- On the 5th of July 2003, approximately 350 to 400 people participated in a tent city action to draw attention to the lack of affordable housing in Montreal. The activists demand the decent housing for all, an end to the criminalization of poverty and homelessness, and the right to squat empty buildings, while acknowleding that ultimately, it is the capitalist system that must be overthrown in order to achieve these demands. The action, organized by Le Comite de sans-Emploi (Committee of the Unemployed), Convergence des Luttes anti-capitalistes - Logement (Anti-Capitalist Convergence - Housing), and Comité logement Ahuntsic-Cartierville (Housing Committee of Ahuntsic-Cartierville), centered on the establishment of a tent city that will function as a springboard for other housing actions and as a forum for activists and squatters to meet each other and build their resistance.

At approximately 1:00pm, a march took place heading towards the as of yet undisclosed location of the tent city, which was kept a secret by organizers for security reasons. After about three blocks, the front of the march, led by a banner that said "Un Logement Decent pour Tous" (decent housing for all), broke away and headed in to the center of Parc Lafontaine, a major park in Montreal. A large section was quickly cordoned off with police tape and signs went up saying "Bienvenue a 'Tent City' -- une zone libre" (Welcom to Tent City - a Liberated space) and work commenced on creating the city. Large tarps were used to make areas for food preparation, water stations were setup, and people setup their tents. In addition, a schedule of events for the upcoming week was distributed, along with guidelines detailing basic ground rules for the tent city, rules that could of course be changed in the open general assemblies that would be held throughout the week. There were also committees for people to join, including food, security, and others, so that the city would be an active communal way of living, without people being idle and not contributing. While this was going on, it was announced that local radio waves were also being occupied -- with a radio station being used to broadcast music, updates, and background information about the lack of housing in Montreal for those not at the squat.

The tent city was a necessary step for people in Montreal, because while the city has acknowledged the housing crisis, they have done little to address the problem. Housing costs remain high, subsides rare, and gentrification rampant -- all while the shelter system is inadequate, resulting in many people sleeping in parks, abandoned buildings, and vacant lots where they are subject to harrassment by the police and private security firms. On July 1st, leases run out in Montreal and the number of people who do not have housing grows. Consequently, the tent city was designed to be a visible action that would bring the problem to the attention of citizens and politicians, while also being a practical way in which people could plan further actions and squats.

Shortly after the tent city was established, the Montreal Police announced that the park closed at midnight, and if people remained, they would be subject to expulsion and/or arrest -- a message that would be announced throughout the day, and ignored by the squatters. The police took the position that they had to enforce the city's by-laws, laws that prohibit anyone from being in a park between midnight and 6:00am -- ignoring the political issues raised by the action -- a hardline position typical of that taken by city officials in Montreal. At a spokescouncil, the squatters decided that they would stay and refuse to leave at midnight, resisting eviction however they could.

In the interm, much of the time was spent in uncertainty -- were the police bluffing or would they evict people using force? While waiting for midnight and an answer, residents socialized, played soccer, listened to tent city radio, and played drums and guitars. A community meal was also served, providing residents with all the food they needed -- pitas with hummus, cake, a fruit salad, coleslaw, and lemonade -- a true feast.

Around 11:30, an announcement was made by the security committee that they had been in contact with the Montreal Police and that riot squads would be used to evict those who remained after midnight. As a result, many people took down their tents and prepared for the looming confrontation. However, it was not until nearly 1:00am that the police gave their final warning --shortly after which the police moved in, tapping their batons on their shields and pressing forward in a line of approximately fifty to seventy-five officers. Some projectiles were thrown at the police and barricades errected, but such measures did little to stop the heavily armed police. The first charge came quickly, with a few arrests being made and tear gas being used --- both of which succeeded in pushing many to the sidewalk, leaving about 100 people in the park. The police then took a break for about ten minutes, making only one targeted arrest, before making a final charge that pushed people off the sidewalk and into the street. In the end, approximately twelve people were arrested while trying to hold the squat.

However, as organizers and participants stated from the beginning, the action would not end with an eviction. The next day another spokescouncil was held in the park and people decided future actions, including a series of workshops in the park, a demonstration for the following Saturday at a City Counciler's house followed by a communtiy picnic, and others that will work towards achieving decent housing for all.

Will they succeed? It is hard to say for sure, but housing activists in Canada have a decent record, with the Perfontaine Squat in Montreal in 2001 that ended in the Mayor giving squatters a city owned building, the Pope Squat in Toronto organized by the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty that was taken during the Pope's visit to Toronto to draw attention to homelessness, and other actions in Vancouver and Quebec in the past year -- Canadian housing activists have been making gains. Moreover, these gains have not been won by working within the system, but rather, they have attacked the problem at its core -- capitalism -- as it is capitalism that places profits before human needs such as food and shelter.