West Island photographer aims to build back after devastating fire
Taylor Halperin is just 22 years old, yet for more than four years, she's been a professional photographer.
"I actually studied nursing, and I started this kind of on the side for fun," Halperin told CTV News. "It turned into a passion that turned into a full-time job."
In 2021, she moved BEEhind The Lens Photography into a new home: a studio on St-Charles Boulevard in Pierrefonds-Roxboro.
Early Wednesday morning, her studio and several businesses next door caught fire.
"I didn't believe it at first. I made sure it was my address," Halperin said. "Now I'm here and I see that my door is blocked off by debris. It's burned down, lights on the ground. It's starting to sink in a bit."
She lost everything, including her camera, props and backdrops for photo shoots.
West Island photographer Taylor Halperin. (Courtesy image)
The most important items were a photo of her grandfather and the camera he gave her.
"In my studio in the back corner, I had a big picture of him framed, a picture of him with his first camera when he was 18 years old," Halperin said. "That picture was burned in the fire. Not only that, but the camera he gave me. It's kind of like losing him all over again. It's something I'll never get back."
Montreal police are investigating the cause of the fire.
A police spokesperson told CTV News firefighters they suspect it was arson because the flames spread very fast.
Despite a major setback, Halperin still has big plans for BEEhind The Lens.
"The goal is to still be a photographer," Halperin said. "The goal is to still be a studio photographer and have my own studio."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Freeland's green economy spending aimed at competing with U.S. Inflation Reduction Act
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland says clean energy and green technology spending may not have been the big-ticket items of the 2023 federal budget if it weren’t for the need to compete with infrastructure spending in the United States.
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned 6.3 per cent increase.
opinion
opinion | The gun control debate in America has been silenced
In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in America, that saw children as young as nine years old shot and killed, the gun control debate is going nowhere, writes CTV News political analyst Eric Ham.
Kids would rather learn from smart robots than less-smart humans: new study
A new study published by Canadian researchers suggests that kindergarten-age children would rather be taught by a competent robot than an incompetent human.
Was Stonehenge a giant calendar? New research suggests maybe not
Stonehenge's purpose has long been a mystery, with some researchers proposing that it may have been an ancient solar calendar. But now, new analysis suggests the calendar theory is unsubstantiated.
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.
Budget 2023 proposes across-the-board 3 per cent spending cut for government departments
The federal budget proposes an across-the-board three per cent spending cut for all departments and agencies, a belt-tightening move after years of massive growth in the federal public service.
Young children, the head of their school and its custodian. These are the victims of the Nashville school shooting
Another American community is reeling after a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville. These are the three children and three adults whose lives were taken by the shooter.
Toronto
-
Man accused of killing 'adventurous' teen in Toronto subway station wanted in Newfoundland
The man who killed a 16-year-old boy remembered as an avid adventurer has been wanted on an arrest warrant issued in a Newfoundland courtroom for nearly two years.
-
Family sues Hamilton, Ont. school board after 5-year-old girl loses part of finger in alleged bullying incident
The mother of a five-year-old girl said her daughter was allegedly bullied so badly she was left with a partially amputated finger from an incident in the washroom.
-
Toronto man with stage 4 cancer pleads for return of stolen rollerblades used to get to hospital
A Toronto man diagnosed with stage 4 cancer is desperate to get the rollerblades he uses to transit with to the hospital to receive radiation treatment back after they were taken from his car.
Atlantic
-
Senior Mounties involved in N.S. mass shooting response either retired or in new jobs
Almost three years after a man disguised as a Mountie started murdering people in Portapique, N.S., on the night of April 18, 2020, the senior RCMP officers and staff involved in the tragic case have all either retired or moved into new jobs.
-
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
-
N.B. residents suffering from mystery brain disease call for fresh investigations
New Brunswickers suffering from a mystery neurological disorder are calling for an investigation into potential environmental causes of the health problems they've been living with for more than two years.
London
-
WATCH
WATCH | London fire crews tackling large barn, grass fire in southeast London, Ont.
London fire crews are currently tackling a ‘large grass fire and working barn fire’ in the southeast section of the city Tuesday afternoon and are asking the public to avoid the area.
-
Child dead in Elgin County, OPP investigating
OPP are investigating after discovering a child who was vital signs absent in West Elgin on Monday. According to police, no foul play is suspected in the child’s death.
-
Cinderblock thrown through London, Ont. bedroom window, toddler injured
A London toddler is fortunate to have avoided serious injury after a giant cinderblock came through her bedroom window in the middle of the night. Around 4 a.m. on March 26, Riiver was sleeping with her head right under the front window of her home on Emerson Avenue.
Northern Ontario
-
Defence accuses Crown of compromising Sudbury murder trial as deliberations begin
As the jury began deliberating Tuesday on the fate of Robert Steven Wright, several restrictions on what can be reported about the case have been lifted. Here are a few of the items that were discussed during the trial when the jury was not present.
-
One dead, one injured in MR55 crash between pickup, tanker
The driver of a pickup truck, a 47-year-old woman, has died after a crash with a tanker on MR55 in the Greater Sudbury community of Lively on Tuesday morning, police say.
-
Federal government capping excise tax on alcohol after outcry
The increase in excise duties on all alcoholic products is being temporarily capped at two per cent starting next month instead of a planned 6.3 per cent increase.
Calgary
-
Police investigate suspicious death in downtown Calgary high rise
Police are investigating the circumstances of the death of a woman in a residential tower in downtown Calgary.
-
Gas prices won't be record breaking, but they will be high this summer
The price of gas is heading upward and it's expected to remain high through the summer, thanks to a number of market forces.
-
15-year-old girl shot to death in northeast Calgary
A 15-year-old girl was shot and killed in the northeast Calgary community of Martindale on Tuesday.
Kitchener
-
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
-
Hamilton family raising awareness about Strep A after sudden death of toddler
A Hamilton, Ont., family is hoping to raise awareness about Strep A after the tragic death of their two-year-old.
-
'They're struggling to stretch their own budget': Grocery prices impact local food budgets
A one-time grocery rebate for low income Canadians is coming at time where many residents in the region are struggling to keep up with their food bills.
Vancouver
-
Sanctuary and torment: The complex history of Riverview Hospital
Overlooking the Coquitlam River, the psychiatric institution still widely known as Riverview was established to treat British Columbians with the most severe mental illnesses in a relaxing setting. In the end, it would prove to be both a sanctuary and a place of torment for its patients.
-
B.C. tribunal rules on woman's claim that neighbours' noise was 'torture'
A B.C. tribunal has ruled on a protracted dispute in which a condo owner described the noise from her upstairs neighbours as "torture" and "violence."
-
Vancouver archdiocese, Catholic school deny wrongdoing in sex abuse case; sue alleged abusers
The Archdiocese of Vancouver and a private Catholic school have denied wrongdoing over claims of sexual abuse from former students and have filed their own lawsuits against the alleged abusers.
Edmonton
-
Edmonton man comes home to find snake native to U.S. in apartment
An Edmonton man says he hasn't slept well since finding a metre-long snake that's native to the eastern and southern American states behind his couch.
-
'Long road ahead of him': Employee shot at Edmonton Pizza Hut enters physiotherapy
The Pizza Hut employee who was shot at his workplace earlier this month is on the long road to recovery, his sister has confirmed Tuesday to CTV News Edmonton.
-
Edmonton approves permit for 'health hub' that some in Ritchie, Strathcona are fighting
Boyle Street Community Services is one step closer to operating a community health hub, including an overdose prevention site near Whyte Avenue in Edmonton.
Windsor
-
‘This make us more confident’: Active attacker drills appreciated by students
In the wake of school shootings in the United States, students and staff at St. Clair College in Windsor say “active attacker” drills are a good idea.
-
WATCH
WATCH | Police seek suspect in convenience store theft with knife
Windsor police are asking the public for help identifying a robbery suspect who allegedly threatened a store clerk with a knife.
-
'It’s not fair': Tecumseh seniors irate with forced club relocation
The Golden Age Club has four weeks to pack up their belongings and vacate a municipally-owned building.
Regina
-
Sask. MLA Derek Meyers dies following battle with cancer
Derek Meyers, the MLA for Regina Walsh Acres has died following a battle with cancer, according to the province.
-
'The last time I saw my grandson alive': Grandfather testifies in 2nd-degree murder trial for Chelsea Whitby
Emerson Whitby was a busy, inquisitive toddler who was always moving around. That’s how his grandfather Travis Jolly described the 18-month-old boy as he detailed the last time he saw his grandson alive during trial at the Court of King’s Bench on Tuesday.
-
'Strong value': Regina police to officially launch Aerial Support Unit
The Regina Police Service (RPS) will be officially launching their Aerial Support Unit on Thursday morning.
Ottawa
-
Budget 2023 proposes across-the-board 3 per cent spending cut for government departments
The federal budget proposes an across-the-board three per cent spending cut for all departments and agencies, a belt-tightening move after years of massive growth in the federal public service.
-
Witness rescues woman from fatal house fire in Kanata
One person is dead after an early morning fire in Kanata, while another person is being treated for smoke inhalation after being rescued from the burning home by a bystander who spotted the fire while driving to the gym.
-
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.
Saskatoon
-
Taste of Saskatchewan going on hiatus this year, organizer says
Taste of Saskatchewan is tasting a break this summer.
-
Five-year-old Saskatoon boy suffers head injury in dog attack
A Saskatoon couple says they felt ignored by police after their five-year-old foster son was attacked by a dog outside the Meadowgreen Confectionary on March 22.
-
Budget 2023 prioritizes pocketbook help and clean economy, deficit projected at $40.1B
In the 2023 federal budget, the government is unveiling continued deficit spending targeted at Canadians' pocketbooks, public health care and the clean economy.