Montreal closer to naming permanent police chief
The City of Montreal moved one step closer to finding a new police chief on Tuesday when the results of the public consultation were released.
The city, however, is still months away from hiring someone and the opposition says there is no time to waste at a time of rising concerns about violence in the city and no permanent police chief in Montreal.
"One of the top priorities is basically armed violence," said Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) director Fo Niemi. "We've seen it practically every week. Everyone is concerned about that."
This weekend, a body was found in a recycling bin which was deemed a homicide and a person was stabbed and killed in one of two stabbings within six hours, for example.
The public wants the next chief to come up with a concrete plan.
After three months of public consultations, the city released its findings on what Montrealers want from the person leading the force.
"I'm really excited, today is a big step in getting our new chief, Montrealers have spoken," said Montreal executive committee member Alain Vaillancourt.
More than 700 people and community groups were surveyed and they said they want the next chief to crack down on gun violence, combat racial profiling, and attract more diverse officers.
They also want better communication, transparency and accountability.
"It was important for us to reach out to all communities, regardless of language or race, and we did so," said Vaillancourt. "For the anglophone community, we did it twice because the first time wasn't representative enough."
At the beginning of the consultation process, the committee faced criticism for not having enough English-speaking community groups.
"We spoke up, and we had to push from the inside and the outside so that it could be more inclusive, not only linguistically but also culturally and socially," said Niemi.
Some want the process of choosing a new police chief to move more quickly.
Former police chief Sylvain Caron retired six months ago and Sophie Roy was appointed interim chief.
The city expects to hire someone at the beginning of next year, but the opposition says that's not fast enough.
"We don't have this luxury to wait and to take time, we are waiting for what exactly," said Ensemble Mtl interim leader councillor Abdelhaq Sari. "We know we're living through a crisis right now."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Melanie Joly 'forward-leaning' in debate on Ukraine using NATO arms inside Russia
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly is suggesting Canada would support a policy of allowing Ukraine to use NATO-provided arms inside Russia.
Fast-paced, highflying SailGP blows into Halifax for weekend competition
Ten countries, including Canada, each with teams of six sailors, are battling head-to-head on Halifax Harbour this weekend for the Canadian debut of SailGP (Grand Prix).
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.