Allison Hanes: 'Personal hygiene' library rule needs to be struck from the books

Aspects of a new bylaw setting out a code of conduct for libraries risk stigmatizing and ostracizing the vulnerable.

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Montreal’s libraries are among the few indoor public spaces open to all.

They welcome children enraptured by story time, seniors engrossed in newspapers, students doing homework, immigrants learning a new language — and increasingly, unhoused people looking for a warm place to rest during the day, check their email or use public washrooms.

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With roughly 10,000 people experiencing homelessness in Quebec, most of them in Montreal, according to the most recent head count, it’s little wonder warm, quiet libraries have become sanctuaries for the most vulnerable, especially when temperatures dip. But as libraries find themselves on the front lines of social crises, including mental illness, addiction, hunger and poverty, they have been struggling with unfamiliar challenges.

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A new bylaw setting out a code of conduct for libraries that was recently adopted in four boroughs, including Ville-Marie, speaks volumes about what they’re up against.

“Yelling, running, pushing, shoving” are all grounds for being kicked out, as is “using obscene, insulting or vexatious language toward staff or other clients.” So are being shirtless or shoeless; bringing animals inside who are not service animals; smoking or vaping; using sporting equipment such as skateboards, inline skates, scooters or balls; and taking materials or documents to parts of the library where they are not intended for use, “such as the washrooms.”

All of this seems reasonable to ensure calm and civility.

But one clause giving library staff the power to eject patrons for “personal hygiene which inconveniences other users or the personnel” has caused a stink over fears it will stigmatize and exclude vulnerable clients.

Almost as soon as the media caught wind of it, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante backtracked on X (formerly Twitter).

“We will be modifying the formulation of the bylaw concerning libraries in order to reflect our values of inclusion in all city spaces. Discrimination has no place in Montreal,” she said. “We must nevertheless recognize that library staff are encountering situations that are delicate and complex, which require a better framework.”

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A city spokesperson said the bylaw, which was set to come into effect in January, is now suspended pending review.

Plante said the city will be drafting guidelines to ensure library rules are applied in a manner that is “humane, sensitive and respectful.”

But unless the offending clause on hygiene is revoked, it’s hard to see how that’s even possible.

Smell is an awfully subjective criterion for expulsion. Different people have different tolerances for scent, be it too much perfume or body odour. There is no yardstick for measuring it, so whether another patron complains or staff members make a judgment call, there is a risk of profiling people based on their appearance or clothing.

Not to mention it’s awkward. Would you want to be the librarian who has to go tell someone to leave because they stink? How would you feel if a staff member came over and told you to get out because you reek? There’s really no nice way to put it. It’s undignified for everyone involved, including librarians, who take their mission to serve a broad spectrum of society very seriously and seemed as surprised as anyone by the new grounds for removal.

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It’s more straightforward to outlaw behaviours. Rules against consuming drugs and alcohol, eating in non-designated areas, or putting one’s feet on the tables and furniture may be warranted.

Restrictions on sleeping in libraries, however, seem heavy-handed. It’s the regulatory equivalent of those benches with the protruding armrests installed in Cabot Square to prevent the unhoused from taking a nap. Obviously someone stretched out on the floor or lying in a vestibule would pose problems. But is someone drifting off with their head on their arms so bad? Patrons from all walks of life have been known to take a snooze at the library.

The penalties for non-compliance are onerous. Fines ranging from $350 to $1,000 for a first offence, $2,000 for a second and $3,000 for subsequent infractions are counterproductive. Since people living on the margins are unlikely to have the means to pay, these kinds of tickets become even more punitive once interest and penalties accrue. There has been growing pushback in recent years against ticketing people who have nowhere else to go.

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So what could Montreal do that is more compassionate, helpful and constructive? We can draw inspiration from the measures taken by libraries in countless other cities and communities across Canada and North America grappling with the same pressures.

Halifax, for instance, has a “kindness first” mantra. CBC reported it offers staff training in how to approach people in distress. Some of its branches even put out food for the hungry, reasoning people tend to be calmer when fed.

The library system in Las Vegas provides free hygiene kits, according to the Guardian — which might be an option for Montreal, given the focus on noxious odours. Salt Lake City collects clothing for those in need.

San Francisco’s public library became the first to hire a social worker, back in 2009 — a step many cities have since followed. The Edmonton Public Library, for instance, now has three outreach workers, who help connect unhoused patrons with resources that might help them.

This is by no means an exhaustive list.

We don’t need to turn libraries into shelters for the unhoused, food banks or day programs. Those already exist, although their resources are strained by rising demand for their services. But Montreal can do more to meet the needs of clients from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds who do seek a safe haven in the library, instead of looking for reasons to bar entry.

There are no easy answers to the problems pushing more and more Montrealers to the brink. But a bylaw that will stigmatize and ostracize the vulnerable doesn’t pass the smell test.

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