Violence at Montreal metro station part of larger problem: advocate
Though police say the assaults at the Lionel-Groulx metro station in Montreal's Saint-Henri neighbourhood were likely random, security problems on public transit are not new and some are concerned that it's part of a much larger problem.
Four teenagers were arrested on Friday after a 35-year-old homeless man was stabbed in an apparent random attack.
On the same night, a female rider was punched in the face by someone she did not know.
The City of Montreal condemned the attacks and said that they've recently implemented a new intervention model that includes police and social workers patrolling metro stations with the goal of preventing violence before it happens.
Welcome Hall Mission CEO Sam Watts said the approach only goes so far.
"The reflex we have is to say what are we going to do about this problem," said Watts. "I think the correct reflex is to ask why we have this problem in the first place."
Watts said the housing situation has worsened, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, and people are seeking shelter in the metro.
It's a situation that isn't sustainable, he said.
"As someone working on the frontlines, I think there's a tendancy to point fingers and say it's so and so's responsibility," said Watts. "We're going to need to understand that it's not this person's problem, it's everyone's problem."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.