Stunned by the numerous refusals of two beggars who do not deign to be assisted by public authorities, the authorities of Trois-Rivières question the veracity of the facts related by the two women, who claim to be refugees and to have children.
This is a situation that the Trois-Rivières Newcomer Reception Service (SANA) considers strange. The two women are holding the same poster with the indication “Refugee family, I have three children. Help me to eat and my rent”.
Employees of the organization claim to have tried everything to help them. “We sent teams, we even found a person to do the translation. They refused to be helped. We found it disturbing since they claim to have children, but the story changed over the course of our discussions. We are now wondering about the existence of the latter,” reported the director of the organization, Ivan Suaza.
The two women beg near the busiest arteries of the city. They are often visible on Boulevard des Récollets and near the Les Rivières shopping center.
The file is known by the Police of Trois-Rivières, but no information allows to associate their quests with bad intentions. “There is nothing to suggest that they want to deceive the public. If they do so for a questionable reason, people just have to not give, it’s a voluntary contribution,” said police spokesman Luc Mongrain. He added that police interventions took place in order to offer assistance services to the two ladies.
A team from TVA Nouvelles also tried to communicate with the beggars. One of them, however, clarified that it was not a fraud. However, she declined to say more about her situation.