Montreal City Council Defends $45M Boost to Police Budget

Montreal's municipal council tackled police powers, police funding and other SPVM-related issues, as many concerned citizens brought up these issues during the council's question period.

Some questions were asked to city councillors about the funding of police in schools, as citizens continue to show concern for the presence of police in school and the funding going towards this. Nine questions on this topic were brought up during this council meeting. Councillors did not respond, as they said they had addressed the issue of funding police in schools at the previous council meeting. 

The police were a hot topic at this meeting. One citizen asked why can police officers abuse their powers on the roads – stating that this puts vulnerable users of those roads at risk, and just leads to a lack of trust from citizens. 

The council responded by stating when you see such things, do not hesitate to contact Commandant du poste de quartier and will discuss it with the officers, additionally recommending they can file a complaint, as well. 

The council was also asked if they will read the alternative budget made by Montreal organization Defund the SPVM Coalition in the company of people of the coalition

The council said that it's a complex issue and the police are picking up the slack where other institutions should be intervening. They stated that the police are in a situation where they need to respond because they are the one being called and that our institutions need to be reinforced, including organizations – as well as the police, and the healthcare system, and education system. The council finally asked the citizen to send the report, stating that council will read it and set a meeting to have a discussion.

A concerned citizen asked Alain Vaillancourt, the executive committee member for public security, what do police do to prevent violence in lieu of receiving such a large boost to their budget. Vaillancourt was questioned why there are so many police and why so much of the municipal budget is going towards the police.

The council said police officers do prevention and interventions. They work with social workers when it's more of a mental health issue, to avoid de-escalation, reaffirming that their job is prevention. 

One participant questioned the council how the $1 million put towards the protection of youth will be used and if it be put towards programs attached to the SPVM. The council responded stating that precisions have not yet been completed but they hope to have concrete solutions and strategies.

Another participant asked what the city is doing to address root causes of violence in underserved neighbourhoods, asking why the city does not put more resources into addressing issues of poverty, lack of housing, lack of youth support, and other issues that increase the likelihood of violent incidents.

Vaillancourt said the city has increased the funding to community organizations for crime prevention and that there will be a forum to address what else should be done. He said housing is a key issue and they are addressing that.

One participant demanded police officers to wear body camera, stating that a lot of racial profiling is occurring in the city. 

Council said they have worked hard to prevent racial profiling but recommended to report it to the SPVM when it happens.