Montreal allocates $7 million for youth-oriented violence prevention initiatives
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced that the city will allocate $7 million to mobilize youth in the prevention of violence, during a press conference at the Saint-Michel library on Thursday.
The Plante administration's announcement comes in the context of a spate of gun violence across the metropolis in recent months. The mayor said that this initiative will promote the mobilization and involvement of teenagers in the neighbourhoods most affected by this issue.
This amount will allow for the development of sports infrastructures, the holding of community activities or the production of podcasts or documentaries by young people to raise awareness of their reality. Plante hopes that these initiatives will strengthen the sense of belonging in the neighbourhoods and reduce boredom, which can sometimes lead to crime.
The mayor also mentioned that accompanying teenagers was one of her priorities, and that information and ideation sessions as well as a telephone service had been created to help them share their ideas.
Plante stressed that her administration wanted to put young people "at the heart of the decisions" in the fight against violence.
"That's why the school environment, the community environment, the police department, the City of Montreal and the other levels of government, we all have to listen and be involved to offer opportunities to our beautiful youth," she said at a press conference.
Following the work of the Montreal Forum to Combat Gun Violence, held last March, the city committed to prioritize initiatives that strengthen the sense of belonging to the community, prevention and interventions with target populations and high-risk youth.
"In order to fully address the issue of violence, we must also look at its root causes. I'm talking about the inequalities that exist between individuals, and the inequalities between neighbourhoods," said Plante.
The sum comes from the $32 million set aside for the participatory budget, which allows the population to decide on the use of part of the municipal money by proposing ideas for improvements or equipment. This year's second edition of the participatory budget focuses on three main themes: youth, equity and safety.
"For us, the participatory budget is one of the ways to give the population the opportunity to reclaim their power to act on its city, its street, its neighbourhood. And that is extremely important," said the mayor.
Led by spokesperson Abdelhaq Sari, the official opposition on public health, reacted to the Plante administration's announcement:
"The measures presented today have been recycled from an announcement made last March. If the Plante administration had really wanted to listen to young people and offer them tools for recreation, it would have offered them the sports center it promised them in Montreal North and that they have been waiting for for too long," reads a press release.
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.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
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.
The UN warns Sudan's warring parties that Darfur risks starvation and death if aid isn't allowed in
The United Nations food agency warned Sudan's warring parties Friday that there is a serious risk of widespread starvation and death in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan if they don't allow humanitarian aid into the vast western region.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.