Montreal announces $5 million for community organizations working to prevent violence
Facing a troubling trend of rising gun violence in Montreal, the city announced Wednesday that it's pumping $5 million into violence prevention for youth and urban security.
The Diversity and Social Inclusion Department's budget increase starting in 2022 to give community organizations involved in violence prevention some additional resources and stability.
"Maintaining the safety of the city requires concerted, comprehensive and national action," said Mayor Valérie Plante. "We must combat gun violence on all fronts... Our administration deeply believes that the fight against organized crime and crime prevention must go hand in hand. That one cannot go without the other."
The money comes after an announcement on the weekend to add 42 positions to the Montreal police (SPVM) ECLIPSE unit that specializes in fighting violent crime.
The Greater Montreal area has witnessed a violent summer, with shooting deaths and injuries mounting in an apparent street gang war.
This last week, Montreal police were at the scene of four separate shootings, including one at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
The city says it is working to support community organizations throughout its boroughs with the announced funding.
"Community organizations are key to preventing violence and crime," said Sud-Ouest borough Mayor Benoit Dorais, who is also president of the executive committee. "By increasing their budgets, we will give them the financial resources they need to continue their work and set up projects that can change the trajectory of many of our most vulnerable youth."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.