MONTREAL -- Some boroughs in Montreal are getting a combined total of $1.4 million in funding to combat a recent uptick in crime, the city announced Wednesday.
Montreal North and Rivière-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles will each receive $400,000 in new funding, while St-Leonard and St-Michel will each get $200,000. Another $200,000 will go to “inter-borough initiatives.”
In announcing the city funding, Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante called again on the provincial and federal governments for help in fighting crime. She has previously requested the province provide an additional $15 million in public security funds in its next budget.
"We are very concerned about the violent incidents of the last few months and we take the situation very seriously. Over the past few weeks, I have been on the ground to meet with local stakeholders and understand their needs,” Plante said in a news release on Wednesday.
“The funds we are announcing today will allow community organizations in the four sectors of the city most affected by the increase in violent events to intervene quickly with young people and ensure their safety.”
The recent funding comes after a string of gun violence in the city’s northeast end, including a fatal shooting in February that killed a 15-year-old girl in St-Leonard. Last month, the mayor and police chief held a joint news conference to reassure residents in the wake of an uptick in shootings in the city’s northeast neighbourhoods.
“Our citizens need to reclaim the peace and security that they deserve,” said Montreal police Chief Sylvain Caron at the time. “They need to feel safe in their neighbourhoods.”
