Quebec invests $52 million in gun violence prevention
With the number of gun-related incidents in Montreal on the rise, the Quebec government announced Sunday that it will invest $52 million to step up prevention efforts.
The funds will be distributed to several projects, including $11.3 million over five years to the Prevention of delinquency through sport, arts, and culture (PDSAC) program. Another $20.2 million will go to a new program, over four years, for “community ‘travail de rue’ organizations in crime prevention,” according to a press release.
In the past year, four teenagers have been shot and killed in Montreal.
“We understand that people are worried and extremely upset,” said Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault, who said the announcement comes on top of an earlier promise to hire 107 police officers and experts to combat gun violence.
But crackdowns are not the answer to everything, according to Guilbault.
“We could have all the police officers in the world, but the day a gun arrives in the hand of a 15-year-old, it’s because something has been dropped before,” she said.
Quebec wants to prevent young people from being “seduced by unscrupulous delinquents” and recognizes that ‘travail de rue’ — efforts organized within a community — is a “major” prevention tool.
The program to fund the missions of community organizations represents a new way of doing business for the government, which usually funds projects. This method, Guilbault said, will help “eradicate the constant spectre of service discontinuity” that hangs over some communities.
At the press conference held in the St. Michel neighbourhood, where many shootings have taken place, some of them fatal, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said she believes that “social, economic and urban conditions” must be improved.
The aim is to improve quality of life and allow for “winning conditions for living environments that are stimulating, interesting, and that keep young people away from organized crime.”
It is necessary “more than ever” to take “very concrete” actions to put a stop to the wave of violence, added Chantal Rouleau, Minister responsible for the Montreal region.
“We are facing a new phenomenon, especially because of the use of social networks that are too often used to glorify and trivialize the possession and use of firearms. And there, it is necessary to tackle it head on,” she said.
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
Among the measures funded, Quebec will provide $366,000 to Montreal police (SPVM) to create a position for an Indigenous community development advisor.
Specialization in this area of intervention represents a “considerable addition” to the police force, said SPVM Chief Sylvain Caron.
The Minister responsible for Indigenous Affairs, Ian Lafrenière — himself a former police officer in Montreal — said he knows “how important it is to build better mutual understanding and trust.”
Gun violence is currently “the priority of the department,” noted Caron, who said he has deployed “all the manpower required” to tame it.
Caron is asking young people who know of gun-related events taking place to confide in a trusted adult or community police officer so that authorities can intervene “upstream, rather than in response.”
The lion’s share of the funds announced Sunday will be spent in Montreal, where the problem is most prevalent, but money will also be available in other major urban centers.
“We don’t want to wait until it’s acute,” said Guilbault.
—This report was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Dec. 5, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Police arrest 3 Indian nationals in killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Suter scores late goal, clinches series for Canucks
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Human remains found in rural Sask. possibly a decade old, RCMP say
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.