As I approached the unassuming brick building off Hochelaga Street last week, Marie-Claude Pion was already organizing food parcels in neat rows. The mother of three has been volunteering at the East End Community Kitchen for seven years. When I mentioned the STM’s proposed weekend metro shutdowns, her expression hardened.
“They don’t understand what this means for real people,” Pion told me, adjusting her worn blue apron. “I see families who plan their entire weekend around getting here. Take away the metro, and they simply won’t eat properly.”
The human impact of transit decisions became starkly evident at Tuesday’s public consultation hearing, where community organizations challenged the Société de transport de Montréal’s plan to implement widespread weekend shutdowns for maintenance work. The heart of their argument: essential services like food banks would become inaccessible to those who need them most.
According to testimony before the transit tribunal, weekend closures would disproportionately affect vulnerable Montrealers who rely on public transportation to access critical food assistance and community supports. The Metro, which serves approximately 1.3 million riders daily according to STM figures, becomes a lifeline for those without alternative transportation options.
“Weekend service is not a luxury for our clients – it’s essential infrastructure,” explained Jean-Marc Fontin, director of the Montreal Food Coalition, which represents 28 food banks across the island. “Over 40% of our visitors rely exclusively on public transit, with the highest demand occurring on Saturdays when working families can actually make it in.”
The hearing revealed surprising statistics about weekend food bank usage. According to Centraide Montreal’s latest community impact report, Saturday attendance at food assistance programs has increased 28% since 2021, reflecting growing food insecurity and changing work patterns among low-income Montrealers.
The STM maintenance proposal would implement rolling weekend closures affecting different lines throughout 2024, with Orange and Green Line stations facing the most significant disruptions. While shuttle buses would operate during closures, community advocates argue these alternatives prove inadequate for clients carrying heavy food parcels or traveling with small children.
“Try carrying three grocery bags and holding a toddler’s hand while waiting for a shuttle bus in January,” remarked Claire Deschênes, who coordinates volunteers at a Notre-Dame-de-Grâce food pantry. “Our clients budget every transit fare. Missing a connection or walking extra blocks can mean choosing between food or medication that week.”
STM representatives defended the maintenance schedule, citing aging infrastructure that requires significant updates to ensure long-term system reliability. Spokesperson Marc-André Perreault emphasized that postponing essential repairs would lead to greater service disruptions in the future.
“We understand these closures create hardships,” Perreault acknowledged during cross-examination. “But our engineering assessment indicates these repairs cannot be completed during overnight hours alone.”
The tribunal hearing highlighted a tension that has become increasingly common in Montreal’s public service landscape – balancing necessary infrastructure improvements against immediate community needs. While few dispute the necessity of maintaining transit systems, the timing and implementation raise questions about who bears the burden when public services are temporarily withdrawn.
Mathieu Charbonneau, an urban policy researcher at Concordia University, describes this as “maintenance inequality” – a phenomenon where system upgrades disproportionately impact those with the fewest alternatives.
“Transit authorities face legitimate maintenance challenges,” Charbonneau explained when I spoke with him after the hearing. “But weekend closures reflect an assumption that weekend travel is discretionary, which simply isn’t true for many service workers, caregivers, and those accessing essential services.”
The STM has proposed several mitigation strategies, including enhanced shuttle service and extending weekday evening hours at some stations. However, food bank representatives remain skeptical these measures address the core accessibility issues.
Montreal city councillor Dominique Ollivier attended the tribunal as an observer and later told me the situation demonstrates the need for better coordination between public services.
“If we know certain communities depend on weekend transit to access food banks, perhaps we should explore temporary satellite locations during closures,” Ollivier suggested. “This requires coordination beyond just the STM.”
The tribunal is expected to deliver recommendations by early December, with any potential service changes likely beginning in February 2024. Meanwhile, the potential impact weighs heavily on those operating community services.
Back at the East End Community Kitchen, volunteer coordinator Pion showed me their Wednesday afternoon preparation, where dozens of food hampers awaited weekend distribution.
“If people can’t reach us, this food doesn’t reach families,” she said, gesturing toward carefully packed parcels containing fresh produce, canned goods, and bread. “For many, this isn’t supplemental – it’s what gets them through the week.”
As Montreal confronts its infrastructure challenges, the food bank accessibility question raises broader considerations about how public service decisions affect different communities. While the engineering necessities are clear, the human costs remain difficult to quantify.
The tribunal’s decision will likely set precedents for how Montreal balances competing public needs as the city continues addressing its aging infrastructure. For thousands of Montrealers depending on both transit and food assistance, that balance has rarely felt more precarious.
