Spring cleaning of Montreal's St-Laurent Blvd. helps some people find stability

Dozens of people hit St-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal for its annual spring clean up Sunday, picking up garbage and pressure-washing off graffiti.

About 40 people were involved in the tradition, including 15 who were part of a social reintegration program that helps young people get back on their feet by giving them paid work.

Kevin Champoux Duquette is one of those giving back to the community and says the work boosts his self-esteem.

"Social reintegration work helps people who are not used to having a stable job 40 hours a week," he said.

The program, run partly by the St-Laurent Boulevard Business Association, has two phases; the first includes follow-ups and the support of intervention workers, while those in the second phase are more independent and have fixed hours.

Champoux Duquette is now in the second phase of the program and says he loves it.

"I love my job," he said, adding it gives him independence.

Marcel David, who leads the reintegration program, says the goal is to be able to prepare people who were experiencing homelessness or other precarious situations to enter the job market.

The program partners with two community organizations,Dners St-Louis and TAPAJ Spectre de Rue,that help young people in situations of poverty.

"After us, they are going to be able to find a real job," said David of those living on the streets.

"They learn to be punctual, for example, they re-learn how to work."

The business association's director, Tasha Morizio, says two people have been hired full time thanks to the work program and have moved up to managerial positions. She says homeless people are part of the St-Laurent Boulevard community and the work helps them feel like they are "part of something."

Preparing for festival season

The business association organizes the spring cleaning every year to rid the street of the winter's debris and garbage and remove graffiti tags to prepare for the popular Mural street art festival.

This year, special pink heart-shaped bike racks and new terraces have been installed.

"What's beautiful about St-Laurent Boulevard is the creativity of the street and how the old mixes with the new," saidMorizio.

"We just love our boulevard."

Mural fest will run from June 8 to June 18 and will feature over 20 local and international artists, adding to a growing collection of public art in the area. Some garbage picked up by the cleaning crew will even be featured in an art installation.

Part of St-Laurent Boulevard will be turned into a pedestrian street for the summer around the same time.

"It was a perfect canvas, like an open air canvas for artists for us because St-Laurent is such an eclectic, open-minded street," said Pierre-Alain Benot, director of Mural Festival.