Pointe-Saint-Charles community groups petition STM for better access to Verdun Hospital

Pierre Riley spent nine months being treated for cancer at the Verdun Hospital. The disease and the treatment took a toll on his mobility, and now he walks with a cane.

The 11-minute walk from De l'glise Metro station to the hospital five-minute walk from LaSalle station may not seem like much, but Riley says it can be a real obstacle to treatment for seniors with mobility issues.

"It's impossible to come by bus. I cannot walk from the Metro because I have problems walking," said Riley, who volunteers at the Pointe-Saint-Charles Seniors Centre.

The centre, which advocates for the independence and well-being of people aged 50 and over, is one of the community groups in Pointe-Saint-Charles calling for better access to the Verdun Hospital.

They say the hospital isn't accessible by public transit and theylaunched a petition in February, asking the Socit de transport de Montral (STM) to extend the 71 bus line serving Pointe-Sainte-Charles to bring commuters directly to the hospital's doorstep.

Unable to rely on public transit, Riley says he has spent hundreds of dollars commuting to his treatment.

The taxi round-trip from his home in Pointe-Saint-Charles costs $30, a sizable sum for his means, he says. He used to travel to the hospital twice a month for chemotherapy. Now he returns once a month for tests.

"A lot of elderly people don't have the $30, back and forth, to come here. Most of the elderly, [aged] 65 and older, in Pointe-Saint-Charles, make under $21,000 in income," he said.

"If you come over here once every two weeks or come every month for a chemotherapy session, it's a lot of money."

And while it is possible to reserve a trip with adapted public transport, Riley says it often means arriving a half hour late to appointments and waiting one or two hours after getting treatment.

In a statement, the STM said the request for better service between Pointe-Saint-Charles and Verdun Hospital came up in public consultations in the Verdun, Ville-Marie and Sud-Ouest boroughs and is being considered as part of the STM's plan to redesign the city's bus routes.

But some in the community are tired of waiting for change.

Maud Marquer shares Riley's concerns.

She is a project manager for seniors, women and mental health at Action-Gardien, a collective of community organizations with the goal of improving living conditions for the people of Pointe-Saint-Charles.

Marquer says easy access to health care is a right, and Pointe-Saint-Charles can't afford to keep waiting for the STM.

"This demand to have direct access to Verdun Hospital is over a decade old," she said.

"What we want are concrete actions, dates, timetables, as quickly as possible. In fact, We can't wait anymore. We shouldn't have to wait for a petition to have this access."

For seniors in the community, public transport is key to their independence and ability to access health-care services, she said.

"We're simply asking for an extension of the bus line to here," she said, referring to the Verdun Hospital.