by PATRICK LEJTENYI

A seedy section of Montreal's Centre-sud is going to get a little bit tidier soon, thanks to an urban development scheme that will replace an eyesore with a greener, more welcoming alternative. Viger Square, the three-block-long concrete park between St-Denis to the west, St-André to the east, Viger to the north and St-Antoine to the south, is officially on the city's hit list. Earlier this month, the Ville-Marie borough brain trust approved plans to demolish the self-enclosed, little-used park - which Viger Square technically is, even though it has the feel of a prison yard - and replace it with what people normally associate with parks: seven-million dollars' worth of trees, grass, pathways and open borders. Construction is planned to start next spring and be completed in 2007.

"As it stands now, Viger Square is not secure for residents, or for the people who use it," says borough councillor Robert Laramée. "It's a shame, because it is a nice space, except that it isn't very inviting."

Viger Square does indeed have a troubled history. A favourite haunt for the city's marginals, each of the park's blocks had its unique population. The western block was home to street kids, the middle to older homeless men, and the east was a cruising ground for male prostitutes. In the summer of 2002, the city experimented with turning a blind eye to the burgeoning population of street kids - many of them heroin addicts - staying overnight, complete with a collection of old sofas and sleeping bags. That came to an end, however, when one of the older men nearby was murdered on August 12 of that year. The next day, the squatters were evicted and police have been enforcing a strict 11 p.m. curfew since.

Who's in, who's out

While few will lament Viger Square's passing, its pending metamorphosis does raise some questions about the direction the city is taking regarding the neighbourhood's changing character. Laramée says the need to recover public space will get even more pressing as new residences sprout - he expects up to 1,000 new dwellings will be built within the short-term future. The new-look Viger Square will also serve to host events like the 2006 OutGames. "Our objective is to give the area back to residents," he says.

Which is all well and good, says homeless advocate Pierre Gaudreau, coordinator of the Réseau d'aide aux personnes seules et itinérantes de Montréal (RAPSIM), provided that the square isn't transformed into another playground for the well-heeled. "Renovating Viger Square is a good idea in and of itself, but we worry that there is a desire to make it a somewhat exclusive kind of place," he says. "If the renovations will be accompanied by an increase in intolerance, and the only people who will be able to use the square are condo-dwellers, we aren't that interested."

Gaudreau thinks that the city should take its lead on Viger Square by looking at another area where the wealthy and the less so mix fairly peacefully, namely Berri Square. "That place is interesting, because it is used by both the homeless and the people who live around it," he says.

Thorny Cactus question

But the issue of creeping gentrification in Centre-sud isn't going away. While cultures are clashing and borough politicians try to balance everyone's needs, Laramée says that he is committed to helping addicts. "The problem is mostly in the Ville-Marie borough," he acknowledges, "and we want to solve it here in Ville-Marie."

Others aren't convinced. Along with the Viger Square announcement at a borough meeting this month, Laramée put the kibosh on a plan to move needle exchange site Cactus from its present home on St-Hubert to a location on Sanguinet and Ste-Catherine, even though it would have been next to a well-equipped CLSC. Cactus director Marianne Tonnelier, still searching for a new home for the centre, says she doesn't wish to comment on the problem now, but will be addressing it in September.

Gaudreau, however, is more candid. "We're very disappointed," he says. "It seems that as soon as certain powerful voices are raised, our elected representatives retreat."

But Laramée argues the spot on Sanguinet was too small, and reiterates that everyone in the area supports Cactus and its work. He says he wants Cactus's new location to have the facilities for an eventual safe injection site - which itself is bound to stir up more questions in this changing neighbourhood.