Resolution for Civil Peace, Public Safety and Social Cohesion

The Montreal Agglomeration Council unanimously adopted the Resolution for Civil Peace, Public Safety, and Social Cohesion on Thursday, August 27, 2026. Proposed by Mayor David Tordjman of Côte Saint-Luc and seconded by Mayor Michael Stern of Westmount, the unofficial English translation of the resolution reads as follows:

WHEREAS the agglomeration of Montreal, including the City of Montreal and the 15 independent reconstituted cities (hereinafter the Agglomeration of Montreal), is rooted in the principles of democracy and the values of human dignity, justice, equality and peaceful intercultural coexistence;

WHEREAS the Agglomeration of Montreal exercises throughout its entire territory, certain powers deemed to be in the public interest which, rather than being exercised separately by the related municipalities, are exercised by the Agglomeration, namely, in particular, the power over public safety, including police services;

WHEREAS the Agglomeration of Montreal has the fundamental responsibility to ensure public safety, preserve social cohesion, foster equal participation in civic life, and safeguard the dignity, security and freedoms of every person residing within the territory of the Agglomeration of Montreal;

WHEREAS the criticism of governments and public policies is a legitimate and protected aspect of a democratic society; intimidation, discrimination, harassment, violence, collective blame, dehumanization, or the direct or indirect targeting of persons on the basis of their religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin or perceived affiliations are fundamentally incompatible with the principles of equality, public safety and social cohesion;

WHEREAS the Agglomeration of Montreal is neither responsible for nor capable of resolving international conflicts, and municipal institutions must remain focused on local matters over which they have both legal authority and responsibility;

WHEREAS, despite earlier episodes of threats, intimidation, harassment, dehumanization, vandalism, hate-motivated crimes, violence and threats of violence, as well as exclusion, institutional discrimination and civic marginalization, directed at Jewish residents, Jewish schools, synagogues, Jewish community institutions and Jewish-owned businesses;

WHEREAS these acts and episodes also included policies and practices barring Jewish persons from holding certain positions, practising their profession, or accessing public spaces;

WHEREAS these acts and episodes were based on discrimination on the grounds of the ethnicity, religion, ancestry, national origin or perceived affiliations of Jewish persons, including antisemitism and all contemporary forms of antisemitism;

WHEREAS the Jewish community of Montreal has been an integral part of the territory of the Agglomeration of Montreal for nearly three hundred years, the Jewish presence in Montreal being continuous since the 1760s; despite the hardships set out above, the Jewish community of Montreal has always contributed to Quebec society by building hospitals, schools, libraries, social service networks, cultural institutions, community centres, philanthropic organizations and places of memory that have strengthened Quebec society and served people of every background;

WHEREAS the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion and the fight against discrimination require that all communities be protected from racialization, collective blame, identity-based discrimination, exclusion, intimidation and unequal treatment, and that many Jewish Montrealers have experienced these harms through documented acts of antisemitism and the minimization or dismissal of their lived experiences, thereby undermining their equal sense of safety, dignity, belonging and participation in civic life;

WHEREAS, since October 7, 2023—the date of the largest massacre of Jewish people since the Holocaust—the Agglomeration of Montreal has seen a documented increase in antisemitic incidents and, according to the most recent RCMP data, Jewish people are the target of more than 70% of hate-motivated crimes based on religion in Canada, despite constituting less one percent or less of the population;

WHEREAS, since October 7, 2023, the Jewish community of the Island of Montreal has endured hundreds of antisemitic incidents (SPVM data reporting 212 incidents between October 7, 2023 and the end of 2024), such as intimidation and vandalism at universities, CEGEPs, high schools and other institutions across the City, including:

shots fired into two Jewish schools in Montreal (November 2023);
the throwing of incendiary devices at the Congregation Beth Tikvah synagogue in Dollard-des-Ormeaux (November 2023, and again in December 2024) as well as at a neighbouring community centre;an attempted arson attack on a synagogue in Côte Saint-Luc (October 2024);
the assault of a visibly Jewish man in Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension (August 2025);
an attempted arson at Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom in Westmount (June 2026);
the repeated harassment and intimidation of Jewish Montrealers, including the trapping of Jewish students in a student space at Concordia University (March 2024);
illegal encampments at McGill University and the explosion of antisemitism on campuses;
the blockading of participants at a Jewish event in the Côte-des-Neiges borough at the Federation CJA building (March 2024), followed the next day by marches in front of the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, which was founded in 1768 and is one of Montreal’s oldest religious institutions (March 2024);threats made against Jewish Montrealers in Saint-Laurent (August 2025);
aggressive demonstrations in front of the Chevra Kadisha synagogue in Côte-des-Neiges (May 2025);
the hanging of effigies representing Jewish people (May 2026);
the harassment and theft targeting Orthodox Jewish men in Outremont and the Mile End (July 2026);

WHEREAS the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns of persistent and pervasive foreign interference in Canada, and some evidence of this interference has now been made public: (1) at a recent sentencing hearing before the Court of Québec, the man who pleaded guilty to throwing incendiary devices at a synagogue and a community centre in Dollard-des-Ormeaux in 2024 stated that he had accepted a $15,000 contract to target these Jewish institutions; (2) in June 2026, the perpetrator of the attempted arson against a Westmount synagogue was in possession of a walkie-talkie; and (3) the shots fired at a synagogue and the U.S. consulate in Toronto in 2026 appears to be linked to a “gun-for-hire” network;

WHEREAS, since October 7, 2023, incidents including at times calls for violence, hate speech, and symbols glorifying designated terrorist acts or organizations have occurred across the Agglomeration of Montreal, at times near Jewish community institutions, raising concerns among the public regarding public safety and the equal treatment of all communities;

WHEREAS it has been demonstrated that violent and extremist rhetoric leads to physical violence;

WHEREAS the normalization of hateful rhetoric, the use of intimidation tactics, violent rhetoric, incitement to violence, and the glorification or promotion of terrorism or political violence have no place in the cities of the Agglomeration of Montreal and are fundamentally incompatible with the values of a democratic and peaceful society;

WHEREAS campaigns of intimidation, identity-based targeting and the importation of foreign conflicts serve to divide residents along ethnic, religious or national lines, weaken social cohesion, and undermine the shared civic identity upon which the democratic institutions of the Agglomeration of Montreal depend;

WHEREAS the elected officials of the Agglomeration of Montreal have the responsibility to ensure that any municipal declaration or resolution is based on facts and respects all communities concerned, in order to maintain social cohesion and inter-community relations within the Agglomeration of Montreal;

BE IT RESOLVED: by Mayor David Tordjman And seconded by Mayor Michael Stern

THAT the Agglomeration Council reaffirm its commitment to maintaining a territory where all residents can participate fully in public life without fear of hatred, intimidation, harassment or violence;

THAT the Agglomeration Council declare that the current rise in antisemitism is unacceptable and that it threatens the safety of all residents of the Island of Montreal, particularly that of the members of Montreal’s Jewish community;

THAT the Agglomeration Council condemn all forms of antisemitism, racism, religious hatred and identity-based intimidation, and recognize that such acts harm not only their direct victims but also the social fabric of Montreal as a whole;

THAT the Agglomeration Council reaffirm unequivocally that every resident of the Island of Montreal has the right to attend their school, post-secondary institution, workplace, place of worship, community institutions, businesses and public events without being subjected to intimidation, harassment, obstruction or violence;

THAT the Agglomeration Council express its support for the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal as well as all public safety partners in the consistent, impartial and non-selective enforcement of applicable laws and municipal by-laws, in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, and the dignity and constitutional rights of every resident;

THAT the Agglomeration of Montreal evaluate the measures necessary to ensure that all relevant public safety personnel receive appropriate training enabling them to recognize, prevent and respond effectively to antisemitism;

THAT the Agglomeration of Montreal prioritize matters within its jurisdiction as well as the concrete local consequences of its decisions, prioritizing public safety, equal treatment, verifiable facts and peaceful coexistence, in the interest of social cohesion.