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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.