Montreal police say an investigation is underway after officers located a woman and a one-year-old child in a homeless encampment in the city’s east end.
Police say they received a call about the woman and a child on Sept. 11 in the eastern Montreal borough of Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.
Police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant says officers located the woman and child after conducting a search and noticed what they described as concerning elements.
Brabant says police are collaborating with Quebec’s youth protection agency on the investigation.
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He also says the infant’s health and safety were not at risk.
Brabant could not say if the woman was under investigation.
In a social media post published last night, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called the situation “heartbreaking” and a “wake-up call.”
Martinez Ferrada said the city could no longer wait for the Quebec government to address what she called a provincewide issue and said the city would take action on the Notre-Dame site.
She also thanked residents who intervened to help the child, as well as first responders and police.
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