Violent offences by minors in Quebec tripled in 2024, data shows
The alarming figures are cause for concern among families and experts alike who say it's further evidence that more resources for youth are badly needed.
For parents like Lynne Baudouy, whose family was affected by violence among minors, that number is troubling.
Her son, 16-year-old Lucas Gaudet, died following an altercation outside a school in Pointe-Claire in 2022 when he was stabbed.
Another teenager, also 16, was charged for his murder.
He was one of six minors in Quebec charged in 2022 with murder, according to the province's Crown prosecutor's office (DPCP).
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The following year there were five. But in 2024, the number tripled to 17.
Story continues below advertisement
'It's concerning that there isn't enough resources for youths,' Baudouy told Global News on Tuesday.
The Crown prosecutor's office has since set up a team within their office of youth affairs to deal with homicides involving minors.
But those working with young people agree with Baudouy.
What's needed, youth advocate Svens Telemaque told Global News, is more investment to keep young people involved in community groups or sports.
The data also shows an increase in the number of minors accused of other crimes, like carrying a concealed weapon or motor vehicle theft.
'We're in danger of creating a lost generation,' said psychologist Dr. Myrna Lashley.
Experts told Global News they draw a direct link between the rise in youth crime and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many of them hit puberty during COVID and were shut off from the usual support systems.
'When these kids were in schools, they would talk to teachers, peers, they would have discussions in groups, and none of that was there for them anymore,' Lashley said.
For the full story, watch the video above.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Man wanted after 3 bodies found in Bracebridge home destroyed by fire: Police
Ontario Provincial Police are searching for a 29-year-old man in connection with a death and arson investigation after three people were found dead at a rural home in Bracebridge. According to a release, officers were called to a residence on Beatrice Town Line Road around 8:00 p.m. on Friday, following reports of gunfire. Upon arrival, police discovered one deceased person outside and the house fully engulfed in flames. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Two additional bodies were later found Sunday morning inside the destroyed home. The OPP says Mitchell Gray, 29, of Bracebridge is wanted on a murder warrant. He is described as a white male, approximately 5'8″ tall, with light brown hair and facial hair. A shelter-in-place order was put in place during the initial police response, which was lifted at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Saturday, August 2, 2025. Story continues below advertisement Police say there is no ongoing threat to public safety. Authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of the deceased. Post-mortem examinations will be conducted to determine the cause of death and confirm identities. Police are asking anyone with information about the incident or Gray's whereabouts to contact the OPP, where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
2 dead in separate drownings in Manitoba on Saturday: RCMP
Manitoba RCMP say they were busy with two separate reports of drowning over the weekend. On Saturday afternoon, around 2 p.m., officers from the Steinbach detachment were called about a possible drowning at Reynolds Ponds in the rural municipality of Reynolds. Police learned that a man had been swimming but didn't resurface, and bystanders weren't able to locate him. With the help of an underwater recovery team, RCMP later found the 70-year-old Ontario man dead. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Later Saturday, around 8 p.m., Selkirk RCMP were called about an incident at Grand Beach, where two men were on the lake on a flotation device when they fell into the water. Although a nearby kayaker was able to rescue one of the men, the other couldn't be found. Story continues below advertisement The body of a 25-year-old Winnipeg man was later recovered. Police continue to investigate both incidents.
Global News
5 hours ago
- Global News
‘They're real people': Mob focus of JFK assassination flick filmed in Winnipeg
Nicholas Celozzi has spent much of his life revisiting the events leading up to the assassination of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Hushed stories filled his childhood home. Conversations with his uncle Joseph (Pepe) Giancana, brother to Chicago Mob boss Sam Giancana, later helped shed light on his family's possible involvement in one of the most debated moments in American history. After decades of film and television portrayals of Sam Giancana, Celozzi is reconceptualizing the 1963 shooting of Kennedy with a focus on the major players in the Chicago Outfit, a powerful Italian-American criminal organization. For Celozzi, his latest screenwriting endeavour is about more than telling another assassination story. It's about family. 'My family, my cousins, really got tired of people using our name, monetizing our name and telling a fake story,' Celozzi said in an interview. Story continues below advertisement 'These aren't fictional people … they're real people. They're vulnerable, they have nerves, they make mistakes, they are not quite sure about things.' Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago Outfit in the 1950s and 1960s, was widely known for his ties to the Kennedy family. He was gunned down in his home in 1975, and his killing remains unsolved. 2:18 JFK assassination files released on Trump's order Many have speculated the Mob group also played a role in Kennedy's assassination, and this is explored in Celozzi's 'November 1963,' which began filming in Winnipeg this summer. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Relying on Pepe Giancana's stories, Celozzi focuses on the 48 hours leading up to the assassination. Giancana, a fill-in driver for his brother, had been a fly on the wall in the days leading up to the assassination, said Celozzi, who is also one of the producers on the independent film. Story continues below advertisement Many conversations led to what Celozzi calls the 'Pepe chronicles,' a series of stories detailing the family's Mob ties. 'I was always aware of who they were. These aren't things that everybody just kind of goes home and talks about. It's an awareness. It's kind of a strange reality that you're born into,' said Celozzi. Pepe Giancana died in the mid-'90s, leaving his stories with Celozzi. 2:11 Local film industry questions Trump's proposed film tariff The writer said he knew he wanted to do something to honour his family's history without degrading them to caricatures often found in Mob flicks. So he began working with Sam Giancana's daughter Bonnie Giancana to craft the script. Over the course of several years and rewrites, Celozzi said they worked to ensure every detail was accurate. Story continues below advertisement 'I needed to keep that honest with the story Pepe gave me, or why do it at all? If I wasn't going to be truthful to what he gave me, there was no purpose in me doing it,' said Celozzi. He brought veteran Canadian producer Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment on board to produce the movie, which wrapped shooting in Winnipeg last week and goes into post-production in Saskatchewan. 'I don't think the family's proud of what happened … it was important for them to tell the truth before they die,' DeWalt said. The cast includes John Travolta, Dermot Mulroney and Mandy Patinkin and is directed by Academy Award nominated English filmmaker Roland Joffé. When it came time to pick a location that could mimic 1960s Chicago and the landmark Dealey Plaza in Dallas, where Kennedy was killed, producers chose Winnipeg over other major cities such as Atlanta and New Orleans in part because of its Exchange District neighbourhood. Producers decided Winnipeg was a perfect stand-in for the Windy City. Dealey Plaza, and the famous Grassy Knoll, was built from scratch at Birds Hill Provincial Park, northeast of Winnipeg. The film features 1,500 extras and 75 to 80 period cars to accurately portray the time period. DeWalt said he expects viewers will be blown away by the film's ability to bring a new level of authenticity and validity to the moment in history. Story continues below advertisement 'People will walk out of the theatre with their own impressions about what it all means,' he said. 'At the end of the day, at least we've given them the tools for one of these things that's been told, and they can make their own impressions in terms of how they feel about it.' When asked if he thinks the film might ruffle feathers with historians, governments or Mob members, Celozzi said that's not his goal. 'What I'm doing is just putting in that missing piece, not glamorizing, just writing it.'
