Montreal school crossing guards honoured on appreciation day
Posted October 27, 2026 8:42 am.
Last Updated October 27, 2026 12:09 pm.
Montrealers observed the School Crossing Guards Appreciation Day Tuesday as part of a weeklong campaign across Quebec.
The second edition of the appreciation week between Oct. 26 and Nov. 1 is meant to recognize the work of people who help children safely cross busy streets on their way to and from school.
“School crossing guards help prevent collisions, remind people of road safety rules and maintain a climate of trust and respect in school environments,” Quebec’s transport ministry said in a press release.
In Montreal, crossing guard Christine Mantzavrakos has been serving the community for six years.
On a chilly fall Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., many students and parents stopped by to thank Mantzavrakos as she stood, at the corner Fielding and West Hill avenues in Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, clad in her fluorescent yellow vest and holding a stop sign.
Mantzavrakos knew the job was a natural fit right after she started.
“I loved the job so much,” she said. “Because I was someone who wanted to work in the community and this is a superb community job. I mean, you get to see people (as they) come back and forth to your intersection three times a day in some cases.”
She put her hand up for the job after hearing about a shortage for crossing guards during the pandemic through another crossing guard, Patrick, whom she saw regularly while walking her daughter to elementary school.
“He was going to retire, so everyone was saying goodbye,” Mantzavrakos said. “It turns out the next year we saw him back at his corners. [H]e said, ‘Well, they need more crossing guards. They don’t have enough crossing guards.'”
Many cross guards had quit for safety reasons during the pandemic, she said.
“So I decided to apply, I inquired and I jumped in and then I just couldn’t stop,” Mantzavrakos said.
“From the moment you leave your house, you’re already, because you’re wearing a uniform, you are ready people kind of call upon you if they need something.”
The ministry invites members of the public to show their appreciation and gratitude to their local guards through small gestures throughout the week.
