Top stories across Montreal in 2022

People attend a protest against the Quebec government’s measures to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in Montreal, Sunday, September 5, 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues in Canada and around the world. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes Copyrighted

Posted December 29, 2022 2:01 pm.

Last Updated December 29, 2022 2:50 pm.

The war in Ukraine breaking out on February 24, shocked the world and it hit home for the Ukrainian diaspora right here in Quebec. The violence didn’t end there, Montreal bared witness to a rash of shootings – with some even taking place in broad daylight.

Here are some of the most important stories of 2022 in Quebec and Montreal.

War in Ukraine

In February, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine. Over the last 10 months, thousands have been killed as cities, schools and hospitals get hit by missile strikes.

Thousands of kilometres away, Canada has welcomed Ukrainian people. But for those who have family still in Ukraine, every day has brought worry.

“There’s something about being so far away from my own country that just makes me feel powerless and anxious,” said a protester towards the beginning of 2022.

According to Statista, as of Dec. 18, 6,826 people have been killed since the invasion began. Of those, 428 are children.

Gun violence

Montreal police responded to several calls of daytime shootings, affecting businesses, like restaurants. Bullets even hit the outside of a daycare.

“The mission is to assure citizens that we’re present,” said Salvatore Serrao, spokesperson on the fight against gun violence.

Between January and November, the SPVM did say the number of gun violence incidents dropped in 2022, compared to 2021. Despite that, the number of homicides involving guns went up.

As of Dec. 15, Montreal had 38 homicides.

Teen Violence

Teens were once again targeted by violence. In January, Amir Benayad was shot and killed in Plateau.

Not even a month later, 16-year-old Lucas Gaudet was stabbed outside a high school in February, dying days later.

Both incidents have left Montrealers wanting more to be done to protect the youth.

Femicides and infanticides rise

Montreal saw another year of femicides increase.

At least 13 women and six children were killed in Quebec because of intimate partner violence in 2022.

Death of Mariia Legenkovska

Mariia Legenkovska, a Ukrainian evacuee was struck and killed while walking to school in Montreal in December.

Mariia Legenkovska was struck by a motorist while walking to school on the morning of Dec. 13 – two months after fleeing the war in Ukraine with her mother and two siblings.

The SPVM says many 911 calls were made around 8:05 a.m. about a pedestrian hit by a vehicle on Parthenais Street, near de Rouen Street.

Once on site, they located a child with life-threatening injuries. The young victim was transported to hospital in critical condition.

She later died in hospital, according to Montreal police.

The vehicle involved and driver fled the scene before officers arrived.

Return to normal?

“We need to learn to live with the virus.” Those are the words from Quebec Premier, Francois Legault back in March.

Earlier in the year, the province took a phased approach to return to normal. By May, most public health mandates were dropped.

But cases spiked again in July.

RELATED: Quebec back to a more ‘normal life’, drops almost all COVID measures

Monkeypox outbreak

The first cases of Monkeypox hit Montreal in May.

The city quickly become the epicentre of Canada’s outbreak, but by November – the virus was almost eradicated.

Crazy weather

Severe weather hit the province – violent storms in the Laurentians in May, caused major damage and left thousands without power for at least a week.

Later in the year landslides in Saguenay entirely wiped out homes.

Over the last couple weeks of December, a cold front that hit most of Canada has left many in Quebec without power.

Travel woes

Travel woes were the concern of many throughout the year.

The summer brought packed airports, forcing flight cancellations and days-long lines for passport renewals.

Heavy traffic daily due to Montreal’s La Fontaine tunnel closures for the next three years also caused a major headache for travellers.

RELATED: Montrealers wait hours in line to get passports renewed

Pride parade cancelled

The annual august Pride Parade was cancelled at the last minute due to mismanagement.

Montreal’s Pride Parade has been celebrating the progress of LGBTQ+ rights, diversity and inclusion for the last 40 years, and thousands of people were expected to march through the downtown core on Sunday.

Pride Montreal issued a statement on Twitter, saying it made the decision with the support of city police because there were not enough volunteers to ensure safety along the parade route.

According to a report in October, communication problems and a misunderstanding were at the heart of the decision to cancel this year’s Montreal’s Pride parade hours before it was scheduled to begin.

COP 15

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP15 hosted in Montreal brought over 10,000 delegates to the city and a new global nature protection deal.

Guy Lafleur & Mike Bossy

Hockey fans mourned the death of Habs Legend Guy LaFleur and New York Islanders icon and Quebecer Mike Bossy, both in April.

“When Guy Lafleur walked into a room jaws dropped, cameras came out for selfies and people immediately started searching for sharpies and a piece of paper for his autograph,” said Geoff Molson, president of the Montreal Canadiens

RELATED: A final farewell: national funeral in Montreal for Canadiens legend Guy Lafleur

Carey Price

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price remained out of commission for the year, following knee surgery and after opening up about his battle with substance abuse.

In November, the goaltender issued a statement through the Montreal Canadiens and also posted it to his Instagram account.

The 34-year-old Price says that he entered the league’s program for substance use.

“Last month I made the decision to enter a residential treatment facility for substance use,” said Price in the statement. “Things had reached a point that I realized I needed to prioritize my health for both myself and for my family. Asking for help when you need it is what we encourage our kids to do. And it was what I needed to do.”

Despite his eventful year off the ice, Price confirmed in October that he had no plans to retire.

Formula 1 returns

After a two-year hiatus, the Canadian Grand Prix returned to Circuit Gillies Villeneuve.

The energy of the Canadian Grand Prix, which returned to Montreal for the first time since 2019, was unmatched in the city’s downtown core throughout the race weekend.

As the cars raced around Circuit Gilles Villeneuve – with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen eventually taking the chequered flag – Montrealers rejoiced on a rare sunny day in June.

Athletes of the year

Canada’s women’s hockey team captain Marie-Philip Poulin was named Canada’s athlete of the year.

Poulin wasn’t the only Quebecer named top athlete, 22-year-old Montreal tennis pro, Felix-Auger Aliassime, won back-to-back titles and becomes the first Canadian man to record 60 tour-level wins in a single season in ATP history. He was the first Quebecer to ever make the quarterfinals of the National Bank Open in Montreal.

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