Montreal police to receive millions in funding after recent episode of gun violence
Montreal police are getting reinforced to the tune of $5.5 million in city funding to hire more officers and civilian aides.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced the funding on Sunday, the morning after the most recent episode of gun violence in Saint-Michel saw one injured and seven detained.
-
READ MORE: 18-year-old wounded and seven arrested following gunfire in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood
The mayor says the money will add 42 positions to the force, to be filled with officers and civilians tasked to investigate criminal groups and staff anti-gang teams.
It’s the second time the city has stepped up efforts to combat gun violence this summer, recently partnering with the province to create a hybrid team of officers to crack down on gun trafficking.
“Since the beginning of the year, we have intensified our support for the SPVM and will continue in this direction in order to stop this violence as quickly as possible,” said the mayor.
“The recent increase in armed violence forces us to act quickly and effectively,” she said. “This is what we are doing once again today.”
Most of the newly hired officers will reinforce the ÉCLIPSE unit – a division which specializes in fighting violent crime.
CONFLICTING VIEWS
Not everyone agrees that the money will help end gun violence.
Concordia University Associate Professor Ted Rutland, who studies the intersections of race and urban geography, has advocated for the city to spend more on community groups to quell the rise in gun crime.
He says he was disappointed in the mayor’s announcement.
“I think it's a terrible, terrible decision,” he said.
He says that community organizations are better equipped to prevent gun crime than police.
“You need a whole series of measures that come from the community,” he said, including guidance programs for young people, job opportunities, support workers, and mental health resources.
“To see another $5 million given to the police, and no money given to community organizations shows that [the city] completely misunderstands what public safety means and how you improve it.”
Rutland says the announcement was likely made in anticipation of the November municipal election.
“It's clearly an electoral strategy on the part of Projet Montreal, which wants to appear tougher on crime and more pro-police than Denis Coderre.”
He’s not the only who thinks the city’s recent investments in police are motivated by the campaign.
Days ago, an internal letter sent to members of Montreal’s police brotherhood stated the municipal government has a "poor understanding of public safety and has only supported police officers since it became an election issue."
The brotherhood insisted it’s not aligned with any of the mayoral candidates. Rather, it said it was concerned about the lack of manpower in fighting gun violence on the island.
The letter was written by brotherhood president Yves Francoeur after two Montreal police officers were allegedly targeted in a possible shooting attempt outside the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
"This vicious attack on the justice system feeds insecurities surrounding the shootings, all in a context of pandemic fatigue," Francoeur notes, adding that many "exhausted police officers" are being forced to do overtime in order to continue covering the territory.
City Council's Official Opposition has expressed similar sentiments, with leader Karine Boivin Roy and public safety critic Abdelhaq Sari stating that Plante's plan is "too little too late."
"It has been more than a year since the Plante administration was alarmed by the increase in criminal activity in Montreal. The city should have acted long before and this late announcement is only an electoral consideration, especially since there will be no additional staffing until 2022."
CTV News reached out to the brotherhood for a reaction to Sunday’s announcement but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
-- With files from CTV's Matt Grillo and Rachel Lau, and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
China sends 125 military aircraft in exercises aimed at Taiwan in single-day record, Taiwan says
China employed 125 military aircraft in exercises aimed at Taiwan on Monday, a record for a single day, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said.
Canadian comedian, talk show host Mike Bullard dead at 67
Canadian stand-up comedian and former talk show host Mike Bullard has died.
Canadian drink company tastes controversy after Simu Liu raises cultural appropriation questions
Controversy bubbled for a Canadian drink company after its founders drew the ire of a Marvel superhero on an episode of a “Shark Tank”-style reality series.
Only roughly 1 in 5 childless adults say they'll have children, survey finds
New data from the Angus Reid Institute shows that only one in five childless adults 50 or younger are confident they will have children.
3 in 4 Canadians show support for defence spending on new submarines, Nanos survey shows
Three in four Canadians support defence spending on new submarines, according to a new survey from Nanos Research and CTV News.
Distracted driving deaths up 40 per cent in Ontario compared to last year
The Ontario Provincial Police says the number of fatal collisions caused by distracted driving on the roads it patrols has increased by 40 per cent compared to this time last year.
Thousands of miles from home, Trudeau learns of dissension in his caucus
The free trade agreement with ASEAN is expected to be signed at the end of 2025. If Trudeau is pressured to step down, or if his government falls and loses the next election, Trudeau will not, as prime minister, be there to see the fruits of his labour.
A record-setting teen climber returns home to Nepal to a hero's welcome
A Sherpa teenager who became the youngest person to scale all the world’s 14 highest peaks returned home to Nepal on Monday to a hero's welcome.
Nobel economics prize awarded for research into why countries succeed or fail
The Nobel memorial prize in economics was awarded Monday to Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson for research into reasons why some countries succeed and others fail.