Montreal West students gain crossing guard at high-risk intersection
Posted April 7, 2026 6:44 am.
Last Updated April 7, 2026 3:13 pm.
After more than a year of advocacy, parents and students near Royal West Academy are marking a significant — if temporary — step toward safer streets.
A crossing guard began directing traffic Tuesday at the intersection of Westminster Avenue South and Ainslie Road, a location that has been at the centre of safety concerns since late 2024.
A hard-fought win
The campaign began after a 14-year-old student was struck while walking to school in October 2024. Since then, at least three reported incidents, including two students hit in February 2026, have heightened concern among families.
On Tuesday morning, that persistence paid off.
Joanna Duy, a parent at the school and chair of a safety sub-committee, said the moment brought both relief and reflection.
“We are very happy and relieved to have a crossing guard here finally,” she said. “It has been a long haul. Many people have worked hard for this.”
Still, she cautioned the work is not finished.
“We still feel like there is a lot to do. We know that we only have the crossing guard until the end of the school year. There are also some changes to the intersection that we are hoping to see. So we are not done yet,” Duy added.
“We’re going to have to continue to advocate, especially in the fall when it starts getting darker again. Right now we’re coming into a period where there’s more light, the sun is less of a factor, but it’s all going to come back around again in the fall. So we’re going to need to just keep on working at this corner.”
In a statement to CityNews, the SPVM challenged the assertion that there have been several incidents involving Royal West Academy students resulting in injuries, saying “this is not consistent with the information held by Neighbourhood Police Station (PDQ) 9.”
“Nevertheless, the officers of PDQ 9 have remained vigilant and have adjusted their interventions based on observed needs and concerns expressed by the community and partners,” a police spokesperson wrote.
The SPVM did confirm the measure will end at the close of the current school year.
“There is indeed a crossing guard assigned to the pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Westminster Avenue South and Ainslie Road in the mornings and at the end of the school day, starting today,” the spokesperson wrote. “This measure, which stems in particular from the intersection redevelopment project planned by the City of Montreal West, is temporary and non-renewable.”
Challenging the rules
Early in the process, parents were told the school did not qualify for a crossing guard under provincial guidelines, which classify children 12 and older as “adult pedestrians.”
That interpretation became a turning point.
With support from Notre-Dame-de-Grâce MNA Désirée McGraw, parents brought a petition to Quebec’s National Assembly. The province later clarified that the rules are guidelines — not strict limitations.
Duy said that clarification helped open the door for the decision.
McGraw said the outcome reflects sustained pressure from the community.
“I’m happy to see so many students and so many parents and so many residents happy. This is definitely a win. It’s a short-term victory that we’re able to get the SPVM to agree to put resources and create a crossing guard, a school crossing guard here, but we need a long-term solution to ensure the safety of the kids here that come to our riding every day to Royal West Academy.”
She added that provincial guidelines should better reflect real-world risks.
“No students should be at risk on their way to or from school or because they’re in a public school that hasn’t been able to pay privately. At no schools, no students should be unsafe going to and from school, and especially we want to encourage mobility, that people are taking public transportation and walking to school. We want to encourage those healthy habits,” McGraw said.
A high-risk intersection
Parents say the intersection presents a unique combination of hazards.
Hundreds of students cross there daily, many arriving from a nearby train station. Parents estimate roughly 96 trains pass the nearby railway crossing each day, contributing to congestion and driver frustration.
Jessica Houde-Woytiuk, a parent and elected commissioner with the English Montreal School Board, said the scene Tuesday underscored how much the measure means to the community.
“This gentleman doesn’t realize that he’s the most favourite lifeguard in the entire province today. He’s had high-fives, he’s had hugs, he’s had motor vehicles cheering for him from their windows.”
She described the crossing guard as a major step forward, but not the final answer.
“It’s really nice to see that, after a year-and-a-half of a lot of cooperation between parents and admin and board officials, elected officials, municipally and provincially, that we have a large piece of the puzzle temporarily. But he’s here,” she said, pointing to ongoing municipal, provincial and even federal factors affecting safety in the area.
A student’s perspective
For students, the change is immediate and personal.
Charlie Shein, now in Grade 10, was struck at the intersection in 2024. He said the experience showed how unpredictable the crossing could be.
“I was walking across this crosswalk right here on my way to school in the morning, and it was quite sunny, and I looked both ways. All the drivers had stopped, and I started crossing, and the driver coming from the right lane obviously hadn’t realized that I was still crossing and started driving, and he hit me. So I took… I had some minor injuries. I took the ambulance to the hospital. Luckily, I wasn’t that hurt.”
He suffered minor injuries, but said the incident — and others since — made it clear something needed to change.
“Clearly, there’s a problem.”
Now, with a crossing guard in place, he said the difference is noticeable.
“It’s great for the kids. They don’t have to pay attention every day to, ‘Oh, should I cross now? Is this guy gonna stop?’ because many people don’t stop. Make sure that they always have a safe place to cross. They don’t have to cross at different places. And it’s also great for the drivers because they don’t have to wait to not know if, ‘Oh, is this kid gonna walk or is he gonna give me my turn?’ And there’s hundreds of kids coming from the train, so it can be very annoying to drivers. Now we have someone to regulate the traffic. It’s very good.”
Still, he expressed concern about the temporary nature of the measure.
“I know the crossing guard was only attained until the end of this school year, so I would really like to see the SPVM institute the crossing guard permanently, because if we let the crossing guard just be instituted for this year and run out at the end of the year, all of this work will have been for nothing and someone could get hit again.”
Work still ahead
In recent months, officials have added flashing stop signs and improved lighting at the intersection. The municipality has also hired an engineer to study further changes.
Duy said those steps are encouraging, but emphasized the need for lasting improvements.
“We want to have the crosswalk be as safe as possible, even when there’s not a crossing guard here, because people won’t always be crossing when there’s a guard here. So there are probably some improvements that can be made there. And then we’re going to have to keep up discussions with all the stakeholders to just make sure that we’re doing everything possible to make this crossing safe,” she said.
Parents say they plan to continue pressing for changes, particularly as daylight hours shorten again in the fall.
For now, the crossing guard stands as a visible sign of progress, and a reminder of what sustained community pressure can achieve.
