The STM receives the Gold Award in Security from the American public transportation association

Montréal, June 17, 2014 – During the presentation of the Safety & Security Excellence Awards today by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Messrs. Philippe Schnobb, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Carl Desrosiers, Chief Executive Officer of the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), accepted the Gold Award on behalf of the company for its service point for the homeless program, developed jointly with the Société de développement social Ville-Marie (SDSVM).

“We are delighted with this excellent news! Homelessness is a complex issue in large cities that concerns us all. Our security and control team, in collaboration with the SPVM’s métro unit, will continue to work with the outreach workers to support them in their efforts. These intervenors meet with homeless people to offer them a listening ear, help and a reference to adequate resources. A primary service point has also been set up near the Place-des-Arts station to offer frontline services (food aid, hygiene, clothing donations, etc.) as well as medical, social and cultural support to this population. These concrete actions have been able to take place thanks to a partnership with stakeholders in the social, cultural and business communities,” declared Mr. Philippe Schnobb, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the STM.

“The SDSVM, the first social broker in North America, is very proud to receive this award. In 2012, the primary objective was to mobilize the business, social, medical and cultural communities around the problem of the homeless at the Place-des-Arts métro and to create the first service point for the homeless. In one year, 430 interventions took place in the métro, of which 140 led to a medical or social consultation at Mission St-Michael. In December 2013, following a very successful first year, the SDSVM announced the extension of the first service point for the homeless to five downtown métro stations for a period of three years in partnership with the STM, the Fondation J. Armand Bombardier, the Makivik Corporation, the ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés culturelles and the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux,” added Mr. Damien Silès, General Manager of the SDSVM.

It should be noted that this initiative also allows the STM to benefit from the expertise of social workers at the  Place-des-Arts, Berri-UQAM, Bonaventure, Atwater and McGill stations.

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About the STM
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) develops and operates an integrated métro and bus network as well as a paratransit service for the benefit of its customers.  The métro network consists of four lines serving 68 stations, while the bus network covers the island of Montréal, an operating area of 500 km². The STM provided 416,5 million trips in 2013, or some 1.3 million rides per day. The company handles more than 80% of all public transportation in the Montréal area, representing more than 70% of all public transit use in Quebec.

The STM has over 9,300 employees. Its budget totals $1.3 billion, and the replacement value of its assets is estimated at more than $14.5 billion. In 2013, the company was the recipient of 17 awards, while employees and members of the board of directors received six distinctions.

About the Société de développement social de Ville-Marie
The financial partners of the Société de développement social de Ville-Marie (SDSVM) for this project are: STM, Fondation J. Armand Bombardier, the Makivik Corporation, the Ville-Marie borough, National, Eidos Montréal, McKesson Canada along with a private donor.

About APTA
Created in 1882, the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is an international non-profit association consisting of 1,500 member organizations from the public and private sectors. These organizations operate in the areas of regional bus transportation, light rail, commuter rail, subways, waterborne passenger services and high-speed rail. More than 90% of Canadian and American public transit users are served by APTA agency members. APTA’s 2014 Rail Conference is the largest gathering of common rail carriers in North America and of the business community in this sector. It also represents a unique opportunity for Canadian and American members to get together and share their knowledge and experiences.

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Isabelle A. Tremblay
Public Affairs
Société de transport de Montréal (STM)
Telephone: (514) 280-4940
isabelle.tremblay@stm.info