Retraction: “Chez Doris to Foresee Almost 40,000 Women by March 2019”
Article Removed Amid a Number of Factual Errors
On March 17, The Link published an article titled “Chez Doris to Foresee Almost 40,000 Women by March 2019.” The article has since been retracted amid a number of factual errors.
Primarily, Marina Boulos-Winton, the executive director of the Chez Doris women’s day-shelter, never stated that the centre would foresee 40,000 women this March. Rather, Boulos-Winter mentioned the shelter expected to provide 40,000 meals to 30,000 visitors. She later specified to The Link this would represent approximately 2,000 different women served.
In addition to that, the article misrepresented the shelter’s new permanent residence by referring to it as an “emergency residence.” The shelter is in fact looking to open a permanent residence with 26 unit apartments as well as an emergency shelter with over 20 beds. However, the article gave the impression that they will be under the same roof, when they will actually open as two new separate points of service. The article also quoted Boulos-Winton saying, “We must raise $365,000 for furnishings and equipment and at least $150,000 in annual operating costs also by early 2020,” but failed to clarify that this money was only required for their permanent residence.
The article also misstated the name of Carole Harper, the deceased wife of retired Montreal businessman Andrew Harper, by referring to her as Caren Harper. Boulos-Winton also emphasized that she didn’t say that Carole Harper was “concerned by the issue of homelessness among women,” but rather that she was more concerned about poverty in general.
The Link regrets the many factual errors were shared on our platform. We want to emphasize that in the future more effort will be made collectively to ensure our articles are fact-checked to a higher standard.
Miriam Lafontaine
Editor-in-Chief
