It was supposed to be an uneventful announcement from the government. Public Security Minister François Bonnardel was in Laval to announce what he called an “extraordinary” aid of $20 million over five years to the city of Laval to hire 20 police officers in his police department . But that’s not how it happened.
The mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, attacked the credibility of today’s announcement in the middle of a press conference. The situation [en matière de violence armée] in Laval is comparable to that in Montreal in relation to our population. That applies to shootings and also to murders, said Mr. Boyer, who could hardly contain his despair.
For a year, he has claimed that he is privately lobbying the Quebec government to recognize that he leads Quebec’s third-largest city, but that he does not receive the same financial support as Montreal and Quebec to combat problems of violence.
Apparently the mayor of Laval ran out of patience and decided to completely change the way the press conference was held.
I am here to work with you [le ministre Bonnardel et le gouvernement], but I’m not here to be complacent. I am here to defend the interests of my citizens. And I will never accept that the residents of Laval are treated like second-class citizens, he said, turning to Minister Bonnardel, who stood silently at his side.
Laval will soon reach a population of 500,000 inhabitants and the demographic growth of Île Jésus is accelerating.
In 2022, the murder rate per 100,000 residents in Laval was 2.73, while in Montreal it was 2.32. Meanwhile, the day before the provincial elections, Quebec announced a financial aid of 250 million for Montreal, but nothing for Laval, denounced Mayor Boyer, who does not shy away from talking about double standards in Quebec’s assessment.
Aid proportional to population
The mayor of Laval is instead calling for help in proportion to the population.
According to his calculations, this represents $60 million, three times more than the special aid granted by the Ministry of Public Security on Monday.
The mayor thundered that announcing less help would be too little, too late, but above all unfair to the citizens of Laval.
The life of a Laval citizen is worth no less than that of a Montrealer.
A series of violent events
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Bernard Cherfan, 42, was murdered in the Vietnamese restaurant La Perle in spring 2022.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Alain Béland
Mayor Stéphane Boyer said during Monday’s press conference that the start of his term in office was marked by armed violence that made headlines.
Shootings occurred daily in August 2021. Houses riddled with bullets and bills being settled in the middle of the street. In Pont-Viau, in Sainte-Rose, in Chomedey. In short, everywhere in the city. In December 2021, a young person was shot through the window of a library, an institution frequented by families but also city employees, which will leave scars, the judge recalled.
The geographical location and proximity to Montreal means that criminal groups have direct links between the two cities, without disregarding municipal jurisdictions.
In April 2022, when I met with the mayors of major Canadian cities to discuss the problem of increasing violence in major cities, the mafia shot people in the head at close range in front of families and children in a restaurant, he added, referring to on the murder of 42-year-old Bernard Cherfan, who was killed in the Vietnamese restaurant La Perle.
The mayor said the events had a traumatizing effect on the population. In November 2022, four people were injured in a shooting near Cégep Montmorency and we had to lock up 500 students for four hours. That day, hundreds of families feared for the lives of their children, said Stéphane Boyer.
That doesn’t count extortion and fraud, he said. In the winter of 2023, restaurateurs will be victims of extortion; organized crime will set their businesses on fire if they do not pay. To date, more than 120 arson incidents have been recorded in our area. This is a phenomenon we have not seen before. Just last week, a company was set on fire for the sixth time.
This formal appearance by the mayor of Laval surprised the team of the Minister of Public Security.
When asked directly during the media question period, Minister Bonnardel emphasized that he would not report on the discussions that the ministry had had with the city of Laval.
We all recognize that we are in difficult times when it comes to armed violence and gun confiscations. We are convinced that the addition of these 20 police officers to the Laval City Police Department will be of great help.