Fréchette to meet Montreal mayor amid fallout over baby in homeless camp

Montreal - Coalition Avenir Québec Leader Christine Fréchette will meet with the city's mayor amid the fallout over a one-year-old child found in a homeless encampment, which has shaken the provincial election campaign. Fréchette has pledged to create a $250-million emergency fund for homelessness, while Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called the infant's presence a "wake-up call" and vowed to take action if the province doesn't.

The discovery of the baby on September 11 has prompted Fréchette's opponents to criticize her government's handling of homelessness. Liberal Leader Charles Milliard promised to invest an extra $60 million annually to aim for zero homelessness, while Québec solidaire and the Parti Québécois said they would appoint a homelessness superminister if elected.