Côte Saint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein has written to Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante following the City of Montreal’s decision not to hear Côte Saint-Luc’s safety brief before the end of the current mandate of the Commission de la sécurité publique.
The brief, prepared in August 2025, proposes a series of concrete measures to strengthen public order and protect vulnerable communities in Montreal. While the Office of Mayor Plante had encouraged Côte Saint-Luc to submit the document to the Commission, the Commission has since confirmed that it would not accept a presentation.
“Given the urgency of these matters, Côte Saint-Luc will publish the recommendations on its website and encourage a broad public discussion,” said Mayor Brownstein.
Action items recommended by Côte Saint-Luc
The brief proposes six key measures to reinforce public order while respecting the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms:
- Recalibrate the policing model – Move away from an overly tolerant “negotiated management” approach and empower police to intervene promptly against hate speech, intimidation, and illegal blockades at demonstrations.
- Provide clear political support to police – Ensure frontline officers know the City will back lawful interventions against hate speech and intimidation, and issue clear policy directives affirming that incitement to hatred will not be tolerated.
- Adopt a targeted anti-mask by-law – Draft a narrowly defined regulation banning face coverings when used for intimidation near sensitive sites, while clearly exempting legitimate uses such as religion, weather, health, or cultural events.
- Equip police with body-worn cameras – Deploy cameras to enhance accountability, reduce complaints, and provide transparency during demonstrations, as already supported by the SPVM, its union, and the public.
- Establish protective buffer zones – Create no-protest “buffer zones” around vulnerable sites such as places of worship, schools, hospitals, and community centres, building on successful precedents in other Canadian municipalities.
- Secure private and institutional spaces – Clarify police authority to dismantle illegal occupations or encampments on private institutional property, such as universities, so that communities are not left to rely solely on private security.
Next steps
Mayor Brownstein emphasized that these measures are already being applied successfully in other Canadian and international jurisdictions. “Montreal has the legal tools and the moral responsibility to act. Protecting communities from intimidation and hate does not weaken democracy – it strengthens it.”
The full brief is available on the City of Côte Saint-Luc website.