Latest news with #Dagher
Montreal Gazette
5 days ago
- Montreal Gazette
Hanes: There are at least two major flaws with Montreal police's new street check policy
In decision after recent decision, the courts in Quebec have been crystal clear: The police practice of random interceptions runs the risk of racial profiling and must be halted. This month, Quebec Superior Court authorized a class-action lawsuit against police forces in the province, including Montreal's. It was filed by Papa Ndianko Gueye, who was pulled over in his white Audi in Longueuil in 2021, on behalf of 'any racialized person who has been the victim of racial profiling during a traffic stop without reason to suspect the commission of an offence.' That suit is in its preliminary stages, but last month, the Quebec Court of Appeal refused most of the provincial government's request to extend a six-month grace period for banning random spot checks after two earlier judgments found them discriminatory. For anyone keeping score, both the appeals court and Superior Court sided with Joseph-Christopher Luamba, a Black Montrealer, who sought a legal remedy after being stopped numerous times by various police forces without apparent cause. But after two strikes, Quebec is now hoping for a final kick at defending the tactic before the Supreme Court of Canada. Meanwhile, the City of Montreal is appealing a landmark ruling in which the court held it liable for thousands of cases of racial profiling by its police force. Mayor Valérie Plante's administration says it's ready to pay compensation to those targeted by the interventions. But it's challenging the ruling on technical grounds — including the finding that the city is responsible for the actions of its officers. As these judgments pile up, it's becoming increasingly difficult to justify interceptions that research irrefutably demonstrates zero in on Quebecers of diverse origins. It's also becoming increasingly expensive to pay reparations to victims of a practice that the courts have repeatedly tried to curtail. Yet the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal continues to cling to street checks as an essential law enforcement tool. This week, Montreal police Chief Fady Dagher unveiled a new and improved framework for random interceptions. Those pulled aside will be told why they are being stopped and that they are free to go, so they don't feel intimidated. Dagher said he believes the overwhelming majority of the public wants police to have discretion to stop and question people in suspicious circumstances, even if officers don't have the legal grounds to detain them. But he wants the new protocol to 'build trust, one intervention at a time.' Dagher, to his credit, has spent his career constructing bridges between cops and the community, pioneering a kinder, gentler approach to policing during his time in Longueuil without compromising the combatting of criminality. But trying to introduce a kinder, gentler approach to controversial street checks is doomed to fail. It's all well and good to want to clarify the obligations of officers and the rights of citizens. But there are at least two major flaws. Telling Montrealers they're free to go does little or nothing to prevent people from racialized backgrounds from being profiled in the first place. The SPVM's own data shows Black, Arab, Latino and Indigenous Montrealers are much more likely to be pulled over during these random checks. Those trends persisted or worsened even as the force tracked its interventions, trained its rank and file, and set more rigorous rules for the interceptions. Discretionary checks that begin innocuously enough also have an alarming tendency to escalate dramatically whether or not the person being intercepted dares question the officers or actually does try to leave — as they are supposedly, according to Dagher and the SPVM's framework, free to do. Lamine Sale Nkouendji was pepper-sprayed, dragged from his car and handcuffed in Outremont after two officers did a U-turn and followed him on the dubious suspicion he'd run a yellow light. Alexandre Lamontagne was thrown in jail overnight after two police officers outside the Old Montreal bar he'd just left stopped him and asked if he needed help because he apparently looked in their direction. These are more than isolated incidents. The court decision that held the city accountable for racial profiling by police estimated as many as 40,000 Montrealers could be entitled to compensation totalling $170 million. Now extrapolate to include all the police forces in the province. The writing should be on the wall for the SPVM and all other Quebec police agencies: No amount of tinkering can make this discredited and inherently problematic practice acceptable.
Global News
7 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
After years of complaints, Montreal police updates street check policy for officers
Montreal police have a small amendment to their street check policy, created in 2020. 'We made a commitment to update the policy to better define the practice and improve communication with citizens,' police director Fady Dagher told reporters during a press briefing to announce the change. Unless a person is being detained, Montreal police will now have to tell the person they stop that they have to right to leave and that they are under no obligation to identify themselves. 'We want to make sure that you don't have any perception that you're being detained,' Dagher explained. The police make the distinction between a street check and an intervention. In the case of the latter, the person who's stopped is obliged to cooperate with police. The police director pointed out that though the updated directive will be effective in fall this year, he's asking officers to start implementing it now. Story continues below advertisement It does not apply to motorists. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The directives governing street checks came after years of complaints of racial profiling by Montreal police. They commissioned an independent study which concluded that Indigenous, Black and Arab Monteralers were disproportionally stopped. The researchers twice recommended that street checks without reasonable cause be stopped, something police have refused to so. Critics say the new amendment is not enough, saying that nothing less than a ban on street checks is acceptable and arguing that these kinds of stops are at the root of social and racial profiling. 'No police officer can try to get the identity of a person without reasonable suspicion,' insists Lydia Khelil, spokesperson for Ligue des droits et libertés. 'It's a norm across Canada.' According to Dagher, several community groups asked them to continue with street checks, for safety reasons. He acknowledges that the new amendment keeps the door open to abuse, but that this is one step in the long process to change the culture of the police service. The change to the policy will be presented publicly on Wednesday evening by the city's public security commission, when members of the public can ask questions.
Montreal Gazette
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Montreal police will be required to tell people they're free to go during street checks
By Montreal police officers conducting street checks will be required to tell people why they're being stopped and that they're free to leave, but an author of a police-commissioned report into the practice said he still believes it should be subject to a moratorium. Police Chief Fady Dagher said the policy is intended to reassure citizens that police are acting fairly and following the rules. The policy comes after a series of consultations, Dagher said, which took place after an independent report commissioned by the police service found that members of Indigenous, Black and Arab communities were disproportionately stopped by police and recommended a moratorium on the practice. Dagher, who has ruled out a moratorium, told reporters Monday that he believes most Montrealers don't want police to stand by if they see someone doing something suspicious, but don't have sufficient grounds to detain them. 'The vast majority of Montreal's community isn't against the police and they're not against police checks, very few are calling for a moratorium, they want the police to do their jobs,' he said. 'On the other hand, and this is very important, they want the police to do their work well, for the police to fallow the law and for the police to respect the rights of citizens.' Also known as 'police checks,' or 'street stops,' they occur when an officer wants to ask someone questions, including to identify themselves, but doesn't have reasonable grounds to detain the individual or demand they identify themselves. The stops are different from a traffic stop, where drivers are legally required to identify themselves to police. Victor Armony, a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal and one of the co-authors of the 2023 report, said that while the new policy is an improvement, he doesn't believe it will reduce racial profiling and still supports the report's recommendation that police stop the practice. 'The police will tell you we need street stops because they help us fight crime, but actually there's no real proof that collecting information this way allows police to fight crime or reduce criminality,' he said in an interview.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Night mayor makes it easier for Ottawa bars to stay open until 5 a.m.
Ottawa nightlife commissioner Matthieu Grondin is making it easier for the city's bars to temporarily extend their liquor sales until 5 a.m. In the review of Ottawa's special events bylaw, which goes before council on May 28, Grondin recommends lifting the city's requirement for an additional license for venues seeking a temporary extension of hours — when they are already properly licensed. The move will streamline the process of extending alcohol-service hours beyond Ontario's regular closing time of 2 a.m., reducing paperwork and avoiding duplicate inspections. Farid Dagher, who runs two electronic-music venues, City at Night at Bank and Slater, and Gridwrks, his new spot on Rideau Street, said it will be a big improvement over the current system. The existing bylaw, enacted in 2002, requires events where 'the principal activities include listening and dancing to music,' to obtain an All Night Dance Event license when applying to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for an extension. According to city staff's review of the special-event bylaws, the license was originally designed to counter the popularity of 'underground dance events commonly referred to as 'raves.'' The All Night Dance Event license calls for an extra round of inspections at the applicant's expense, a detail that Dagher said is unnecessary for a licensed venue. 'It's like you're having to get a license over an existing license to do the same thing but at a different hour,' Dagher explained, adding that he's had some amusing encounters with inspectors while applying for the All Night Dance Event license. 'They would come in and be like, 'Well, this is going to be quick because we were here not too long ago.' So we would laugh about it because it's just the process, but we always thought that somebody should challenge that,' he said. The amendment to the bylaw now recommends a letter of 'municipal significance' be attached to the AGCO application for a temporary extension, instead of the all-night dance event license. 'The letter typically indicates that the City agrees the proposed event is of municipal significance, as it benefits the greater good of the city,' wrote Valérie Bietlot, the city's manager of public policy development, in response to an email inquiry. Final approval from the AGCO is still required for the extension. What's more, the city is adopting 'a more flexible definition of municipal significance,' added Grondin, that takes into account the social, cultural, or local economic development impacts of the event. Contrary to widespread perception, there is a market in Ottawa for after-hours activity, and it includes shift workers, hospitality staff and other night owls, as well as electronic-music fans. Of course, ever since the heyday of raves, it's been traditional for electronic-music shows to run into the wee hours. As a booker, Dagher said the ability to program longer sets not only provides a unique experience for fans but also allows for a 'progression' of acts, building a vibe throughout the night. Making the paperwork easier helps prevent the rise of illegal after-hours parties, too. 'If you make it too complicated to get the permits, you may give clandestine events a reason to do it without permits,' Dagher said. 'There are spaces that are known to be doing it, and when they start selling alcohol illegally, it's no longer a safe space for the customers.' Dagher gave kudos to Grondin and his advisory Nightlife Council group for bringing the issue to the attention of city authorities during this year's review of special events bylaws. 'He's really advocating for us,' Dagher said. 'He's talked to a lot of people to try to identify what the pain points are, and he's advocating for these changes. 'It's like he's initiating a culture of change and I feel that as we start getting these changes, the politicians and policy makers will maybe have a better read on what these changes mean in terms of outcomes, and they may become more comfortable and accepting of nightlife. We're pretty happy with that.' Rick Laplante, the veteran Ottawa promoter/DJ who's a member of the volunteer Nightlife Council, said the amendment is a good example of the type of thing the council is looking to simplify. 'We're trying to make recommendations to remove a lot of this kind of red tape and redundancies that we see in some of the business-licensing bylaws that are in place, especially for dance events,' he said. 'Typically, our culture lives at night and thrives at night. And when we do have the opportunity to extend our hours, it's inclusive to a whole segment of Ottawa's population that works off hours or works at night. 'Ultimately, it's a couple of extra hours of dancing at the end of the night, but I think it goes a long way toward our shared goals of having an expanded and financially successful nightlife.' Following council approval, the amending by-law will be enacted immediately to exempt establishments and events already operating under an AGCO license from the requirements of the all-night dance event license. lsaxberg@
Ottawa Citizen
23-05-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
Night mayor makes it easier for Ottawa bars to stay open until 5 a.m.
Article content Ottawa nightlife commissioner Matthieu Grondin is making it easier for the city's bars to temporarily extend their liquor sales until 5 a.m. Article content In the review of Ottawa's special events bylaw, which goes before council on May 28, Grondin recommends lifting the city's requirement for an additional license for venues seeking a temporary extension of hours — when they are already properly licensed. Article content Article content The move will streamline the process of extending alcohol-service hours beyond Ontario's regular closing time of 2 a.m., reducing paperwork and avoiding duplicate inspections. Article content Article content The existing bylaw, enacted in 2002, requires events where 'the principal activities include listening and dancing to music,' to obtain an All Night Dance Event license when applying to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario for an extension. Article content According to city staff's review of the special-event bylaws, the license was originally designed to counter the popularity of 'underground dance events commonly referred to as 'raves.'' Article content The All Night Dance Event license calls for an extra round of inspections at the applicant's expense, a detail that Dagher said is unnecessary for a licensed venue. Article content Article content 'It's like you're having to get a license over an existing license to do the same thing but at a different hour,' Dagher explained, adding that he's had some amusing encounters with inspectors while applying for the All Night Dance Event license. Article content 'They would come in and be like, 'Well, this is going to be quick because we were here not too long ago.' So we would laugh about it because it's just the process, but we always thought that somebody should challenge that,' he said. Article content Article content 'The letter typically indicates that the City agrees the proposed event is of municipal significance, as it benefits the greater good of the city,' wrote Valérie Bietlot, the city's manager of public policy development, in response to an email inquiry. Final approval from the AGCO is still required for the extension.
