‘A huge relief’: Montreal West high school to get crossing guard at busy intersection after multiple incidents

Montreal West is finally getting a crossing guard at a busy intersection near Royal West Academy – an area notorious for collisions.

The corner of Westminster Avenue South and Ainslie Road has been a concern for parents since November 2024 after 14-year-old Royal West Academy student, Charlie Shein, was hit on his way to class. Luckily, he was not injured following the incident.

A temporary crossing guard has been assigned beginning April 7 and will remain at the intersection until the end of the school year. It will, however, not be renewed for the 2026-2027 school year.

The push for safety grew in February when two more students were struck.

Thirteen-year-old Sofia Milbrandt was walking back from a nearby train station with a friend on the morning of Feb. 16 when a car travelling south stopped at the intersection of Westminster and Ainslie streets.

Milbrandt said the driver must not have seen the two, because the next thing she knew, the car had suddenly accelerated, hitting both of them.

Milbrandt’s right leg was injured and treated at the hospital, but remains less-functional walking up and down stairs.

“The kids are trying to cross four lanes of very busy traffic at rush hour with absolutely no light – no traffic light,” said Joanna Duy, chairperson of the parent participation organization safety sub-committee of Royal West Academy. “They’re relying on cars to stop.”

Parents of kids at the school have been lobbying for safety measures for years, recently launching a petition to Quebec’s National Assembly demanding a permanent crossing guard be assigned to reduce the risk.

“It’s just not a safe passage for kids to get to school,” Duy said.

Initially the province’s current rules suggested crossing guards weren’t to be assigned near high schools given secondary students are considered adult pedestrians – this was the response given in 2024 after a petition to the town and Montreal Police (SPVM) was submitted.

But once it was brought to the National Assembly’s attention, they clarified that this is only a guideline, not a strict rule – meaning that if there is the need, even at a high school, a crossing guard can be put in place.

The SPVM then convened to analyze the case and deemed it appropriate to assign a crossing guard at this location – a huge relief for parents.

“A bit of a surprise actually after being told for so long that it wasn’t feasible,” Duy said. “I’m so glad that I won’t have to get another text from my daughter, hopefully, saying why are there so many ambulances and firetrucks here at this intersection again.”

“I’m hoping that they will help manage the difficult situation of having hundreds of kids trying to cross that street at once with very busy traffic,” Duy added. “I’m sure it’s not going to be an easy job for the person working there, but we hope they’ll be effective in keeping kids safe as they cross.”