Royal West parents demand crossing guard return
After winning a pilot program, Montreal West families push for permanent safety measure at dangerous intersection.
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Parents of Royal West Academy students are fighting to keep a crossing guard at Westminster Avenue South and Ainslie Road, where the school's repeated calls for safety have finally won attention — then faced an expiration date.
The crossing guard started directing traffic in early April after more than a year of advocacy. The SPVM says the measure ends this school year. Parents want it renewed for September.
"The Royal West community is frustrated that the crossing guard will not be renewed for the next school year, especially given that new survey results suggest that it is making a substantial difference in students' perceptions of safety," the school's governing board and parent safety subcommittee said.
A parent survey completed by 224 respondents in late May found students felt significantly safer with the guard in place. The corner became urgent after 14-year-old student Charlie Shein was hit by a vehicle in November 2024. Two more students were struck in February 2026.
Parents initially faced provincial pushback — Quebec guidelines classify children 12 and older as "adult pedestrians." With support from NDG MNA Désirée McGraw, they brought a petition to the National Assembly. The province later clarified the guidelines are not strict limitations.
The school and parents now have until the end of the school year to convince the SPVM the intersection remains dangerous enough to justify permanent staffing.