COVID-19 Côte-des-Neiges Local Action Plan

Protect the most vulnerable populations and limit the spread of COVID-19

The Côte-des-Neiges borough remained a hotspot for outbreaks, as measured by the Direction régionale de santé publique’s monitoring of COVID-19 by area in 2020. The Snowdon sector was especially hard hit by the pandemic, in addition to having a large proportion of individuals receiving food aid, and individuals with low incomes. The neighbourhood is, to a greater extent than many others, a place where new arrivals to Montreal make a home for themselves. These individuals sometimes have a limited grasp of the two official languages, which can make it challenging to transmit information to them via institutional communication networks. On top of that, many Snowdon residents are essential workers who live in dwellings where space is limited or that are densely populated. All the elements are in place for the virus to spread more widely.

The local COVID-19 action plan for Côte-des-Neiges, backed by the Fonds COVID Québec, led to the reinforcement of collaborations and the clarification of the roles and responsibilities of each of the actors, be they institutional or community-based, as well as the implementation of innovative and complementary projects to assist the most vulnerable and isolated populations.

Starting at the end of August, awareness workers crisscrossed the neighbourhood, giving out critical information. With the injection of new resources, interventions and activities emerged that had rarely, or not at all, been taken on by local institutions. For instance, the Côte-des-Neiges action plan allowed for the enhancement of communications tools, their translation into several languages, and their transmission via several platforms. Awareness workers informed residents about mobile screening clinics, and helped in the distribution of packages for those who had to self-isolate on an emergency basis. To mention but a few of the resources mobilized, and the impacts: distribution of 18,500 leaflets listing community resources; 20,394 masks and 248 isolation gowns provided to community organizations; 12,763 residents receiving person-to-person prevention or awareness information; the creation of a website; soundtracks for the “truck crier” which, armed with a loudspeaker, broadcast instructions in 18 languages; and 1,263 infected individuals receiving food packages that made their isolation periods easier. All of this helped limit community transmission in  Côte-des-Neiges.

Picture: Prevention poster created by the COVID-19 Plan Brigade of Côte-des-Neiges.