As 15-year-old victim remembered, Montreal community groups divided on how to end gun violence

It's been one year since Safia Boundaoui lost her 15-year-old sister Meriem to gun violence and she says the pain is still raw. 

"I am crying for my sister always, always," she said. "It's as if she died yesterday."

There is mounting concern about guns in Montreal. Last Friday, the police announced that four separate operations carried out in the span of one week resulted in the seizure of 11 guns, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and the arrests of 10 people — at least four of whom were 19 years old.

But those who work with youth say enforcement cannot be the only lever used to quell violence.

Meriem had recently immigrated from Algeria to live with her sister in Quebec. The high school student was killed in a drive-by shooting as she sat in a parked car on Feb. 7, 2021 in Montreal's Saint-Léonard borough. She was one of several teens to lose their lives to gun violence in the past year.

Speaking at a vigil in her honour last week, Boundaoui called her sister's death unacceptable.

She said the tragedy was a symptom of the troubling rise of violence among the city's youth and demanded authorities do more to keep people safe.

Elected officials who attended the memorial said Meriem's death is a stark reminder of the work left to be done.

"We have to challenge the city of Montreal and other governments ... to (work) hand in hand," said Artij El Kordi, a local borough councillor."

To do that, community workers in the city have long called for more funding and support from all levels of government.

A new group comprised of retired Montreal police officers, however, says change will only come from more policing and tougher laws.

Beefing up policing, Criminal Code

Meriem was one of four teenagers killed in the span of one year in Montreal. Two others, Jannai Dopwell-Bailey, and Thomas Trudel, were victims of homicide in 2021. Last month, 17-year-old Amir Benayad was fatally shot in the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.

There were at least 187 shootings in Montreal in 2021, according to Montreal police (SPVM), up from 133 in 2020 and 84 in 2019.

A newly formed group, the Communauté de citoyens en action contre les criminels violents (CCACV) says repressive legislative changes — including toughening up punishments for minors who commit crimes using firearms —  as well as valorizing police work will improve these statistics and put an end to the "feeling of impunity" among criminals.

"There should be tougher penalties on firearms," said Anie Samson at Meriem's vigil. Samson is the former Montreal city executive committee member responsible for public security, as well as a founding member of CCACV.

"It's fine to watch what happens and then be upset when it happens, but now we have to take action, because it will continue," she said. 

The CCACV recently launched 16 proposals directed at all three levels of government aimed at countering armed violence — 12 of which focus on bolstering policing and beefing up Canada's Criminal Code.

More policing not a solution

Pierreson Vaval, director of the non-profit group Équipe RDP, has worked with youth in Rivières-des-Prairies for more than 25 years. He says what the CCACV is demanding doesn't tackle the root causes of violence among youth.

"All these requests are going to end up having more of our kids in prison. That's the solution that they're proposing, and that's not what we're asking for," he said. 

Vaval says working with schools and the community to support social development and exclusion prevention will keep kids from falling prey to "the violent world."

"You need to have resources to give these kids other alternatives, other opportunities ... and if we don't, our kids are going to stay on the same path. It's a vicious cycle," he said. 

Ann St. Arnaud, director of communications at Sun Youth, says she's seen the positive outcomes of prevention first hand from kids who took part in programs at her community organization. 

"We've had many testimonials over the years of kids that have become adults and saw that their involvement in Sun Youth helped them stay on the right path or get back on the right path," she said. 

St. Arnaud says she's not sure more policing will solve any problems, adding it might even exacerbate the long-standing social tensions between police and marginalized youth. 

She says the government should instead focus on the lack of sports infrastructure for kids. Data shows sports facilities are less accessible in lower-income neighbourhoods, where St. Arnaud says kids need them most. 

City investing $20M in community groups

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante raised the budget of the Montreal police by $45 million in the city's 2022 budget, bringing the total budget to about $724 million. About $4.6 million of that is specifically to fight gun violence.

Meanwhile, last year, Plante announced the city would pump an annual $5 million into violence prevention for youth by providing additional resources to community organizations. 

Vaval says he received the funds over the course of seven months last year, but says it's been radio silence in the new year. 

"Are we still a real priority? We need to hear and to see real action fast because we want to know if we have resources." 

In a statement to CBC News, the city said community groups will "soon be informed of the allocation of these funds," saying a total of $20 million will be invested over four years. 

Vaval says he's heard these promises before, so he'll believe it when he sees the money. 

"Right now, we only see funding in the criminal justice system … So it shows us that it's easier for us to invest in repression than in prevention."