by Timothy Edward, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Two children were hit by vehicles in separate incidents in Montreal today. One accident occurred in Ahuntsic-Cartierville, as a child was on their way to school, the other on Crescent Street downtown, as the three-year-old child was going to daycare. Both children suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante issued a message to drivers following this news.

“My message to drivers: please slow down. Stay alert at all times. Our local streets are not shortcuts. Saving a life is more important than saving a few minutes to get to your destination.”

Plante also said, “All my thoughts go out to the families of these children,” and spoke about the city’s School Safety Program.

“Taking action to make travel safer is not a slogan, it is a priority,” she said. “When we deploy more photo radars and accelerate the development of safer, human-scale living environments, we save lives. We are asking the Quebec government for more photo radars in Montreal. We must do everything we can to protect the most vulnerable.”