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Montreal Mayor Calls Anti-Loitering Spikes 'Unacceptable,' Forces Removal

Montreal Mayor Outraged At Anti-Loitering Spikes, Forces Removal
Twitter/CPiou

The mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, certainly knows how to get things done.

Upon discovery of so-called 'anti-loitering spikes' outside Montreal's Archambault music store on Tuesday, the mayor took to Twitter to express his outrage — and the spikes were promptly removed, reports CTV.

Translation: The anti-loitering spikes are unacceptable!!!!

The spikes, which are meant to deter people from sitting or sleeping in public areas, were recently the subject of controversy at an apartment building in London, England, as well, with Mayor Boris Johnson calling them "ugly" and "stupid."Homeless advocacy groups say they're used in other places in Canada as well, often outside high-rise buildings, reports Yahoo.

Montreal's mayor took a very personal stance on the issue, tweeting in French, "I guarantee these spikes will be removed today, even if we have to remove them ourselves."

Since taking office last November, Coderre has made tackling the homeless problem in Montreal a priority. “Right now the city of Montreal gives $1.6 million for purposes that touch homelessness,” he said to CTV in January. “I’m going to raise that support and make sure to have a better partnership with the groups.”

With a bigger budget promised from the province, Coderre says he's happy but will still be making demands for more social housing and help, reports the Montreal Gazette.

The last count of homeless people in Montreal, carried out in 1998, put the number above 28,000, and the city's population has only grown in the past 16 years, and according to the Montreal Gazette, the problem is only growing in the suburbs.

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