Montreal’s police brotherhood needs the ability to high quality individuals who hurl insults and foul language at officers and is pressuring the town to undertake a bylaw much like guidelines in municipalities like Quebec Metropolis, Laval, Longueuil and Sherbrooke, the place officers can high quality residents for insulting police and different public officers.
Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says she is open to implementing a bylaw, however provides it must be drafted rigorously to make sure it received’t be contested in courtroom.
The Canadian Press obtained inside information from a few of Quebec’s largest metropolitan areas on what number of fines are issued by means of bylaws prohibiting insults towards law enforcement officials and different municipal staff.
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— Between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2026, Quebec Metropolis police handed out 11,092 fines for insulting an officer or different municipal worker. That’s a median of 5 fines per day. Solely 32 days glided by in that six-year interval the place a high quality was not issued.
— The fines are sometimes $150, and the police drive reported amassing a complete of $1,664,660.00 in these six years from individuals fined beneath the bylaw.
— Police in Laval, Que., issued 4,502 of fines for individuals who violated an analogous bylaw between Jan. 1, 2021, and April 1, 2026. The fines are a minimal of $286.
— In Sherbrooke, Que., fines can vary between $160 and $4,000. Sherbrooke police issued 855 fines for insulting law enforcement officials in 2025, which they are saying are hardly ever contested.
— The 5 municipalities within the Longueuil, Que., space, all served by Longueuil police, have comparable laws prohibiting insults towards municipal officers, together with police. Longueuil police say they handed out 53 fines in 2025 and 49 so far in 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press