Parents shocked after two Montreal-area daycare managers charged with smuggling ghost guns
Several parents say they were shocked to learn the managers of two Montreal-area daycares have been charged with smuggling ghost guns across the Canadian border.
Stacy St-Pierre, 42, and his spouse, 45-year-old Ruby Sharma, were arrested by the RCMP on July 14, 2023. They were released without charges "pending the completion of the investigation" and continued to manage two daycares in Vaudreuil and St-Lazare.
The couple was charged seven months later — last Friday — with possession for the purpose of weapons trafficking and importing or exporting unauthorized guns.
Police alleged they smuggled six ghost guns, which are typically made from assembled parts or 3D printers, making them difficult for police to trace.
According to an email obtained by CTV News, Quebec's families ministry asked the owner of Garderie Precious Cargo Inc. to do new background checks on the couple after the charges were laid.
'I couldn't believe what I was reading'
Parents say they were stunned after reading about the charges and that they question the managers' judgment.
"When I found this out at first, it was so shocking that I thought it was artificial intelligence. I thought somebody had, you know, made a meme or something. I was completely gobsmacked. I couldn't believe what I was reading," one parent told CTV News in an interview. "Right away, I said to myself, 'I'm not taking my [child] back to that daycare and until I have more explanations.'"
According to the RCMP allegations, Sharma and St-Pierre were stopped while entering from the United States at the Lacolle, Que. border crossing last summer with six privately manufactured Glock-style Polymer 80s. The so-called ghost guns they had allegedly smuggled had no serial numbers.
A car heads to the U.S. border crossing, Monday, August 9, 2021 in Lacolle, Que., south of Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Three parents spoke to CTV News on the condition that their names not be published due to fears of repercussions on their children. Two of them say they have pulled their kids from the daycare because they’re worried about their kids’ safety.
"It's everything that gravitates around guns — it's organized crime, it's street gangs, it's non-licensed, no serial number ghost guns like that are used on the black market and sold for very, very expensive. It's the people that are involved with these types of crimes that scares me," one parent said.
"Guns and children do not go together."
Another mother said she left her work early in the middle of the day Friday to pull her child out of the daycare after reading the news of the charges and hasn't brought the child back since.
"Until the case has gone to court and their names are either cleared or they are found guilty, I do not want [the accused] involved with the daycare," said the parent.
A third parent told CTV News that she doesn't feel like the daycare owner is taking the allegations seriously and accused her of giving the managers special treatment due to their familial ties.
Managers will no longer be present, parents told
Sharma and the daycare owner did not respond to CTV News’ requests for comment on Tuesday.
According to a memo sent to the parents on Tuesday, the owner said she will serve as "acting director" and that Sharma and St-Pierre "will no longer be at the daycare until everything is sorted out."
The email from the ministry, which oversees daycares in Quebec, requested that new checks be carried out on the two accused "if they remain employed."
The ministry said that it only learned about the charges when they were laid last week.
When asked if the two accused can continue working in the daycares, ministry spokesperson Wendy Whittom said, "The ministry suspends a licencee's licence under investigation or arrest, but the individuals in question are not licensed to operate the daycare. For its part, the ministry is making sure all checks are carried out to ensure the health and safety of the children."
Sgt. Charles Poirier, an RCMP spokesperson, said in an email that the police service notified Quebec's families ministry about the charges last Friday.
"However it is worthy to note that there is no indication that would suggest that the daycares have anything to do with the infractions, but obviously given the gravity of the infractions it was necessary to notify the Ministère de la famille," he wrote in the email.
The two accused are scheduled to appear in court again on April 4.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.