Student arrested after teacher was stabbed at Montreal high school

Montreal Police have arrested a student at a high school in St-Michel after they say a teacher, who CityNews has identified as Maxim Canuel, was stabbed.

Police say the person was arrested not far from John F. Kennedy High School, but the school was not evacuated.

The school board says classes will be cancelled on Friday and will resume on Tuesday (Monday was already a professional day).

Given the circumstances the school will be closed on Friday. Since Monday was already designated as a professional day, classes will not resume until Tuesday. (3/3)

— English Montreal School Board (@EnglishMTL) December 9, 2021

#WATCH: Montreal Police update the situation and what’s known so far at JFK High School. pic.twitter.com/a2EGYipGAI

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) December 9, 2021

It happened around 10:10a.m., Thursday morning.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted about the incident, saying he is shocked by the news.

I’m shocked by the news coming from Papineau. My thoughts are with the John F. Kennedy High School community and, in particular, the teacher who was stabbed this morning. I’m wishing him a full and fast recovery, and I’d like to thank the authorities who responded so quickly.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) December 9, 2021

“Information gathered by officers onsite, information that a student, a man aged of 16 years old was on the run, probably inside the school. So not to take any risk we locked down the school,” Jean-Pierre Brabant, a Montreal police spokesperson said.

Canuel, a 40-year-old man, was stabbed at least once in the upper body.

The English Montreal School Board has issued a statement and sends its hopes and prayers to the teacher.

“Our Traumatic Support team was immediately assigned by the Director General to go to the school and talk to students and staff about this incident,”  said EMSB Chair Joe Ortona. “This is team of experienced individuals from our Student Services Department with many years of expertise in dealing immediately with traumatic events.”

Canuel was taken to hospital with minor injuries, where authorities say they do not fear for his life.

SPVM were in the school and securing the perimeter.

One parent told CityNews the whole ordeal was quite alarming.

“I got a phone call from another parent of another student that was with my daughter in class, saying that they were in lockdown, didn’t know if it was a real lockdown or a fake one, they didn’t know what was happening,” the parent said.

“You send your kid to school in the morning thinking everything is going to be okay and that he or she is going to return home safely and then you get a phone call like this and it’s painful, it’s very very hard to deal with as a parent, extremely hard,” the parent added.

“I never felt like something like this would really in the school,” one 14-year-old student told CityNews.

“I just always thought that this school wouldn’t have anything really to do like this.”

For now, police explain that the student was not in school today, but walked into the class and allegedly stabbed the teacher.

It’s unclear if anything may have happened prior to this to lead to the event.

The 16-year-old student was found nearby, walking on a road, but did not resist arrest officers say and appeared calm.

He will be met with investigators.