New number 211 will connect citizens with ÉMMIS from January

Starting in January, a new hotline will connect citizens and business owners with a group dedicated to providing assistance to the most vulnerable.

The city announced on Tuesday that it will expand its mobile mediation and social intervention team (ÉMMIS) to three more districts in 2025 and gradually to all 19 districts by 2028. By then, the number of people working for the force is expected to rise from the current 52 to 90.

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ÉMMIS is already in operation across the entire metro network and in four boroughs (Ville-Marie, Plateau-Mont-Royal, Sud-Ouest and Mercier—Hochelaga-Maisonneuve) and will be expanded to the Ahuntsic—Cartierville borough by next year. The expansion will cost $50 million, shared equally by the province and the city over a three-year period between 2025 and 2028.

ÉMMIS already responds to an average of nine calls per day. About 15 percent of these calls came from businesses. Between February and June 2024, the team responded to 1,075 incidents across the entire metro network.

The expansion also includes a new hotline that Montrealers can call if they need the ÉMMIS service: 211. Heather Johnston, director general of the Information and Referral Centre of Greater Montréal, told reporters on Tuesday that the rollout of ÉMMIS in the city’s boroughs could take several months, but that the 211 hotline will be available to anyone on the island, even if their borough is not covered by ÉMMIS. If someone calls from one of these boroughs, they will be directed to the appropriate municipal line.

“We have a team of experienced consultants so we can direct them where they need to go,” Johnston said.

In its reaction to the announcement, the city’s opposition expressed regret that it had taken so long for Mayor Valérie Plante to extend the ÉMMIS service to the whole city. The money for this measure has already been available for two years, it said.

“Once again, the weakest are paying for the poor management of Projet Montréal,” says Benoit Langevin, the opposition critic for homeless issues.

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