A shopping centre in Canada has divided the internet after it was revealed that it had been playing popular children’s song, Baby Shark, on loop, to deter homeless people from loitering on the premises, especially the fire emergency stairwell. Complexe Desjardins, a mall and office complex in downtown Montreal confirmed to Canadian website CBC it had been playing the music for the past year owing to security issues. Mall spokesperson Jean-Benoît Turcotti said the music was installed “because we were having problems in these areas”.
As per Mr Turcotti, since the mall started to blast the song on loop, fewer homeless people were seen around the area.
“Since the installation of this sound solution, we have noticed an improvement in the situation,” Mr Turcotti told the publication, adding there were no plans to stop playing the song.
Ironically, the mall is situated near the Old Brewery Mission, the city’s largest homelessness support organisation.
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Internet reacts
As the news of the mall’s unconventional action went viral, social media users chimed in with their differing viewpoints, While some sided with the mall, others called out the authorities for being cruel towards the homeless people.
“Actually I’m not even mad. Private property. They can do whatever they want. They can play the song through the entire mall 24/7,” said one user, while another added: “It is creative. Better than dousing them with water. What other method would you use? They CAN’T live there.”
A third added: “Unconventional but if it works then maybe why not”
“More Canadian citizens are homeless than illegals. So this is a war on Canadian citizens by big business. Let’s see the liberal NDP say anything lmao,” said one user, who was seemingly against the move.
A Montreal mall is being criticized for playing ‘Baby Shark’ on loop in the stairwells to discourage homeless people from loitering pic.twitter.com/fmjtcNzeK4
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) November 29, 2024
Lionel Carmant, the minister for social services, reacting to the news said the use of the song to scare away the homeless was not alright.
“It’s not humane and it’s not the right way (to do it). I am here to take care of the homeless,” said Lionel Carmant, the minister for social services.
Despite the criticism, Mr Carmant did not have a specific plan of action to tackle the issue. “The community needs to come together to take care of people,” he said instead.
Notably, Desjardins Group, the company that maintains the mall, pledged £946,000 (Rs 10.1 crore) for homelessness initiatives in Montreal in 2023.
