The city of Montreal is granting an envelope of 32 million dollars for the prevention of armed violence, of which 7 million will be dedicated to projects concocted by the young people themselves.
Mayor Valérie Plante made the announcement Thursday morning in the library of Saint-Michel, a borough north of Montreal.
Thus, the second participatory budget of the city – to the tune of 30 million dollars – will have as themes youth, security and equity, indicated the mayor surrounded by several of her collaborators.
And to ensure that these young people are heard and placed at the heart of initiatives, the City is also confirming the creation of the “By and For young people” program. This is a new special youth fund of $2 million that will support projects proposed by young people, in collaboration with community organizations, such as awareness campaigns, the purchase of equipment such as footballs basketball courts, the addition of sports fields, a mobile youth centre, the production of podcasts, etc. With $5 million from the participatory budget, the total in this regard will be $7 million.
The young people were met and listened to, the mayor pointed out, particularly within the framework of the Montreal Forum for the fight against armed violence. They talked about the importance of better gun control and their desire to be part of the solution and to realize their dreams and plans, she added.
Neither magic wand nor miracle recipe
” For me, […] to fully address the issue of violence, we must also look at its root causes, I am talking here about the inequalities that exist between individuals and between neighborhoods. “So it takes equal opportunities and quality living environments,” said Ms.me Plant.
The mayor is not claiming that violence prevention will be solved solely with activities to keep young people busy — there is no magic wand or miracle recipe — but she maintains that this is the one of the elements that will, together with others, lead to results, a conclusion supported by prevention research, she indicated.
Several young people were present at the press conference, including some who work actively at the Table de quartier de Saint-Michel. But when participants at the press conference were asked whether criminalized young people were also consulted to find out what could have made a difference in their lives before taking the plunge into illegal or violent activities, the answers were more only vague: it is not clear if their opinion was solicited.
If they have opportunities, places to develop their talents and to make friends, the risk is less that they turn to illegal activities: this is the message that has been communicated.
In short, what is put forward with Thursday’s announcement is a way to empower young people, who will be able to ask for what they think is necessary to feel safe and to fulfill themselves, said the mayor. Plant.
The city’s official opposition, Ensemble Montreal, was not yet satisfied with the efforts of the mayor’s party to fight gun violence.
On Thursday, the party’s spokesperson for public security, Abdelhaq Sari, criticized the announcement as “yet another communication operation on the part of Projet Montréal, which tries to hide its lack of proactivity in matters of public security. , both on a coercive and preventive level. »
According to him, the measures presented only offer young people the opportunity to contribute to one-off projects “without planning a real long-term vision. »