Volunteers walk Montreal streets to protect the city’s most vulnerable
The Wolf Pack Patrol is a volunteer-run organization started by Al Harrington, a former outreach worker for the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal, just over six months ago in response to a lack of support for the vulnerable Indigenous men and women of Montreal.
Harrington and several volunteers gather three days a week at around 8:30 pm. First, they collect donations – such as snacks, first-aid kits, sanitary items and other necessities – and then head off to patrol the streets and hand out the donations to those in need. Currently, they begin at St. George’s Anglican Church, trek to Cabot Square and then all the way back, a journey that can last up to three hours.
They’ve become a fixture on their route, regularly stopping to chat with all the people who’ve become familiar with their pack.
According to a 2015 survey, 10% of Montreal’s homeless population is First Nations while only 0.6% of the city’s population is First Nations. Harrington hopes to eventually open a homeless shelter in Montreal to better address this issue. He says that it will be a lot of work to get it going, but he is willing to put in the time and effort that it takes.
The Wolf Pack Patrol was inspired by the Bear Clan, who began patrolling the streets in Winnipeg and are now expanding towards Western Canada. The group monitors the streets to ward off aggressors, spend time tracking down missing women while also addressing the drug problems in their community.
Harrington, an Ojibway from Shoal Lake First Nation in Ontario, chose the name Wolf Pack because Montreal is on Mohawk territory and the wolf is one of the three main clans in the Mohawk clan system. Furthermore, when he started doing research on wolves he was inspired by the way in which they look out for one another in the wilderness.
Harrington and the Wolf Pack Patrol have been very outspoken about the similarly named Quebec-based organization called La Meute (“The Pack”), a racist and xenophobic group that organizes and demonstrates against immigration to Canada.
This far-right group claims to be of Indigenous descent while simultaneously wanting to maintain Québécois and Canadian values. According to their Facebook page, they openly condemn multiculturalism stating that it is a threat to society in Quebec and Canada. Harrington and his volunteer group were called to Quebec City to publicly speak out against such racism at a counter-demonstration. He decreed that it is not the First Nations way to be unwelcoming and racist.
One Patrol volunteer explained that many of the vulnerable individuals they serve will only take the bare minimum so as to ensure there is enough supplies for everyone. The volunteer added that there is a lot of comradery in the streets, even though the conditions are very tough.
The Wolf Pack is currently accepting donations. They are mostly looking for socks, underwear and sanitary products. Since the winter is fast approaching, items like blankets, coats, boots, mitts, gloves, pants, sweaters and sleeping bags are also appreciated. If you would like to donate or volunteer with the Wolf Pack, you can join their Facebook group, “Wolf Pack Street Patrol”, and get in contact with them there.
Story and Photos by Heather Waldron