The big forum on armed violence in the metropolis will finally take place over three days, starting on February 24. A full day will be devoted to a workshop held with young Montrealers, whom Valérie Plante wants to “place at the center of the process”.
Posted at 11:46 a.m.
“We want to give young people a voice, to hear what they have to say about their realities, their daily lives, their aspirations, their dreams. They have a desire to get involved and participate fully in life in society. We are going to place young people at the center of the process, ”insisted Mme Plant on Monday, in scrum.
The forum was supposed to take place at the end of January, but it was delayed by the pandemic. His outfit was mentioned shortly after three teenagers, Myriam Boundaoui, Jannai Dopwell-Bailey and Thomas Trudel, were killed by knives or firearms, sending shock waves through the metropolis.
Everything will begin on February 24 with a series of conferences and seminars bringing together several institutional and community organizations. Recommendations will then be made during a “final” session on March 31.
In the meantime, a one-day workshop will also be held with a group of young people on March 17, together with teams from the Institut du Nouveau Monde (INM). “We have to think now, but also later. […] How come there are young people who have weapons in their hands? asked M.me Plante, reiterating that the issue also involves the circulation of arms at the borders.
The mayor also repeated that the Trudeau government will have to “have the courage to legislate” on the banning of handguns. “We are not waiting for solutions. What we want to determine is whether there are other solutions that we can bring, “said Mme Plant.
“Break down the walls”
At his side, the deputy director of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), Vincent Richer, said he wanted to “break down the walls” in terms of information sharing and transparency between the police and the community network. “If someone goes to the school, how can they pass the information on to the police department or someone else? That’s the goal,” he stressed, considering that the forum is a “unique opportunity” to find solutions.
“We must fight against the culture of trivialization of violence among our young people, which is an extremely complex phenomenon,” added Mr. Richer. As for the application of the recommendations that will emerge from the forum, the SPVM is cautious. “It will depend on what is offered. It is certain that a legislative change, we understand, it takes time, ”he noted, saying that certain concrete measures could be applied quickly.
Montreal, for its part, recalled having already injected 20 million over four years into the community network. The City also reshuffled its senior management on Friday to give more importance to public safety, which will now be managed by a separate body. Two new positions have been created.
2021 has seen a spike in gun violence and major drug seizures. At the end of the year, 187 shooting events had occurred in Montreal since the start of 2021, or 44 more than the 143 episodes of 2020, an increase of 30%. Several other events involving firearms have also taken place in 2022 since that date.