MONTREAL — A pair of independent Montreal city councillors have tabled a motion to get the city to declare a state of emergency on homelessness next week.

The motion calls on the city to usher in a host of measures including requisitioning private accommodation spaces to shelter the unhoused before winter comes and allocating more resources to shelters.

Craig Sauve, one of the councillors behind the motion, says Montreal needs to step up to protect the lives of its growing homeless population as shelters scramble to accommodate the city’s unhoused.