Sheltering refugees latest act for Montreal’s much-maligned Olympic stadium
MONTREAL — Forty-one years after it first welcomed the world for the 1976 Games, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium has been asked to throw open its doors once again.
The cavernous stadium, which is more accustomed to hosting sporting events and trade shows, is now being used as a temporary shelter for some of the hundreds of asylum claimants pouring across the New York-Quebec border every day.
Between now and September, up to 600 refugee claimants at a time will sleep on camp beds in a windowless common area, where fans attending Montreal Expos baseball games once passed through on their way to the bleachers above left field.
Beds, bedding, and basic toiletries are being provided by the Red Cross, while a branch of Quebec’s Health Department is handling the newcomers’ day-to-day needs.