MONTREAL — Focus Montreal introduces Montrealers to people who are shaping our community, bringing their stories into focus.
It airs on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and at midnight.
Take a look at who we’re meeting this week on Focus Montreal:
Mental health issues and police interactions
Montrealers were left shaking their heads earlier this week following another deadly police shooting.
It happened on Monday in Montreal’s Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough. Police know they were confronting a man in psychological distress.
André Benjamin, 63, was shot a t least once and died in hospital.
Neighbours reported that Benjamin was wielding a knife and behaving erratically.
The Sûreté du Québec took over the investigation and have confirmed that a stun gun was deployed by an officer and that Benjamin was also struck by at lest one bullet.
The fatal shooting on Monday comes just six weeks after a coroner’s report was issued into another fatal police shooting.
Alain Magloire was shot and killed by Montreal police near the downtown Berri bus station two years ago. He was suffering form mental illness and wielding a hammer.
The coroner’s report called for more police use of stun guns and for better training on how to deal with people with mental health issues.
Matthew Pearce, president and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission joins senior anchor Jamie Orchard with some perspective on dealing with the mentally ill.
Donate to Skate
The sudden passing of 6-year-old Benjamin Joseph Pelletier back in 2012, inspired his mother to start a foundation in his name.
Her goal? To help kids who can’t afford it play hockey, because Ben’s passion for the game was infectious.
This Sunday, the Benjamin Joseph Pelletier Foundation is hosting its fourth annual “Donate to Skate” benefit at the Pierrefonds Sportplexe.
Activities includes a silent auction and a skills competition.
The funds help with equipment purchases and registration fees for leagues and sport camps.
Since its creation in 2012, 56 children have been given the opportunity to join organized sports thanks to the foundation.
Meet, Benjamin’s mother, Teri-Anne Fielding, the remarkable woman behind the idea.
For more information on the event or to learn more about the organization, visit the BJP Foundation website.
‘Punk Rock’
Montreal’s Beautiful City Theatre (BCT) is presenting the beautiful yet haunting play Punk Rock at the Centaur Theatre from May 6 to May 14.
Inspired by the Columbine shooting in 1999, Punk Rock forces us to confront the reality of school violence.
It’s a subject that hits close to home here in Montreal, with the Polytechnique massacre and Dawson College shooting in recent memory.
The production focuses on an examination of empathy.
It also explores the tragic consequences of bullying and its impact on individual students and the collective.
The show features a cast of performers from the Montreal – a city that knows first-hand the cost of violence in schools.
Calli Armstrong who directed the play is joined by cast member Rebecca Bauer as they discuss the themes explored in the play.
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