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Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante is urging motorists to drive more carefully after two children were struck in separate incidents on Thursday.
In a post on X, Plante said her thoughts are with the children’s families and said making the city’s streets safer remains a priority.
“One child struck downtown while going to daycare. One child struck in Ahuntsic-Cartierville while heading to school,” Plante wrote.
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“My message to motorists: please slow down,” she added. “Our local streets are not shortcuts. Saving a life is more important than taking a few extra minutes to reach your destination.”
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Both children were in stable condition by Wednesday afternoon.
In the first case, shortly after 8 a.m., a 6-year-old child was struck by a small school bus outside an elementary school on Lajeunesse St. in the Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough.
Police said the child crossed the street in an “unexpected manner” before being hit.
The child suffered a head injury and was brought to a hospital with his parents out of precaution. The driver was a 69-year-old man.
In the second case, a 3-year-old boy was struck in front of a daycare on Crescent St. near René-Lévesque Blvd. around 9:40 a.m.
According to witnesses, the boy managed to wriggle away from the person walking him and dashed between two parked cars before being a struck by an oncoming vehicle.
The child suffered a head injury but was conscious when taken to the hospital. Medical authorities later determined the boy’s life was not in danger. The 25-year-old woman driving the car was treated for shock at the scene.
On Wednesday, the city announced it is investing $14 million to add safety measures around 32 schools, daycares and parks in 10 boroughs this year.
The city is also requesting help from the provincial government to add nearly 300 photo radars in Montreal. At present, there are only eight in the city.
“When we deploy more photo radar and accelerate the development of safer, human-scale living environments, we save lives,” Plante wrote on Thursday.
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