Kirkland

Police investigate drive-by shooting in Kirkland

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / August 16, 2024 / Kirkland, shooting, Timberlea Street

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

Several 911 calls alerted police officers to a drive-by shooting early Monday morning in the Town of Kirkland.

At approximately 1:25 a.m., several gunshots were fired in the direction of a home located on Beaubois Street near Timberlea Street. When patrol officers arrived on site, they identified several bullet holes on the garage door of the residence along with shell casings on the ground. The officers set up a security perimeter around the crime scene and forensic experts were called in to investigate.

According to authorities, there were people inside the home at the time of the shooting. No injuries were reported.

Investigators reviewed camera surveillance footage from around the neighbourhood and spoke to potential witnesses Monday morning.

A lawn was set on fire with the use of accelerants at the house directly next door three days prior to this most recent attack. A vehicle that was parked in front of a house two doors down was also subject to an arson attack just two weeks ago. When The Suburban arrived on site, the neighbours from two houses were standing outside together discussing the attacks. They refused to comment to reporters on site and returned to their respective homes upon questioning. The Suburban also noted an unusual amount of surveillance cameras surrounding the property from neighbouring homes in comparison to homes further up the road and what could generally be expected in a similar neighbourhood.

The investigation is ongoing. Updates and more information will follow in The Suburban hard copy.

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Kuper Academy students celebrate cultural diversity

Local Journalism Initiative / The Suburban / April 27, 2024 / Annu Vir, Karen Cliffe, Kirkland, Kuper Academy

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A unique and festive cultural celebration day was held at Kuper Academy in Kirkland last Friday.

Students dressed in traditional clothing representing different cultures set up tables throughout the school’s gym where they placed items related to the country or culture that they were representing as well as traditional food items. At each stop along the table tour, students enthusiastically described the items on display and described the foods that they prepared at home with their families or brought in from local restaurants to showcase their culture’s “best of” or “most known for” tasty treats.

Following the tour of the tables, a variety show featuring students who prepared dance and music performances related to their cultural representation took place followed by a “fashion show” where two students at a time representing different countries walked through the centre divide of the cheering crowd.

“Here at Kuper Academy we have a lot of cultural diversity and it is important to me to see these cultures come together and celebrate each other,” Event organizer and French teacher at Kuper Academy Annu Vir, representing India for the day’s activities, told The Suburban.

“This is an incredible endeavour initiated by one of my colleagues that has really grown into what you see today. I like seeing students sharing their cultural diversities. I am a proud Jew, born and raised in the West Island and proud to share this day with students at Kuper from all countries,” teacher Robyn Shiller told The Suburban.

The Suburban‘s assigned tour guide, student Kennedy Boucher, representing Canada at the festivities, explained more than 30 tables representing various cultures and countries in perfect detail. She finally took a short mid-day break as the stage performances took place. “Seeing all the performances was amazing and I learned of some hidden talents of some students that I didn’t know about.”

Kirkland city councillor Karen Cliffe attended the event and told The Suburban that she was in awe at the grandeur of the students’ involvement in the project. “The effort that the kids put in to making the food, preparing the tables and putting on a show is amazing.”

All who attended were visibly impressed with the collective works that created a jovial atmosphere combined with learning and sharing. n

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