The City of Montreal has announced a service agreement with Coalition Pozé, which will see the deployment of the Équipe mobile de médiation et d'intervention sociale (ÉMMIS) in the city's northeastern boroughs, starting in 2025.
Coalition Pozé, along with Équijustice and Société de développement social, will dispatch ÉMMIS civilian social workers to provide an immediate, punctual and non-urgent municipal response to social cohabitation issues related to the sharing of public space, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Its area of intervention will include the boroughs of Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles, Anjou, Montréal-Nord and Saint-Léonard.
Coalition Pozé will also be drawing on its expertise in working with Montreal youth. To this end, a youth violence prevention component will be added to the areas of intervention of Coalition Pozé's ÉMMIS members.
This agreement with Coalition Pozé is part of the expansion of ÉMMIS services announced last month, which will see the deployment of 90 interveners across the metropolitan area. This enhancement of ÉMMIS is the result of $50 million in funding, provided in equal parts by the City of Montreal and the Quebec government's Ministère de la Sécurité publique until 2028.
The general public and merchants will be able to reach the ÉMMIS via the Greater Montreal Reference Centre (211) as of 2025. Last year, more than 15,000 interventions were carried out in the four boroughs currently covered by ÉMMIS.Quotes
“In just a few months, EMMIS has become an essential service for defusing difficult situations. Once again, we are calling on a community organization to support us, because they are in the best position to intervene in the field. We're delighted to be able to count on the Pozé Coalition's specialized expertise, particularly in youth issues. Thanks to this new collaboration, we will be able to deploy the ÉMMIS in the northeastern part of the island and offer services specific to the needs of the population in this sector of the metropolis.”
- Valérie Plante, Mayor of Montreal
“We thank Coalition Pozé for joining us in the ÉMMIS adventure. It will make a valuable contribution to this unique and promising project. We are convinced that with the combination of its experience and that of SDS in the project, as well as Équijustice's approach to mediation and the recognized expertise in social info-referencing of the Centre de référence du Grand Montréal, the intervention teams will improve their actions in the field. This diversified contribution from our partners will enable us to increase our impact in resolving social cohabitation issues, for the benefit of Montrealers”.
- Josefina Blanco, responsable de la diversité et de l'inclusion sociale au comité exécutif de la Ville de Montréal
“The Coalition Pozé is pleased to note that the municipal administration is committed to prioritizing youth issues as part of the roll-out of the ÉMMIS service offering throughout Montreal. We are proud to team up with the Ville de Montréal and its collaborators to take action in public spaces and boroughs to promote harmonious cohabitation between citizens of all backgrounds and origins. We'll be putting our resources and network to work to help prevent isolation and combat the precariousness that affects vulnerable young people and their communities. We are convinced that this initiative will bring people closer to the ideal of living together in Montreal.
- Pierreson Vaval, Executive Director, Coalition Pozé
