Yesterday during a press conference, Quebec Premier François Legault and Public Safety Minister Geneviève Guilbault announced that the new rules around Montreal's red zone status would be enforced by the police both in the city and other regions sharing the same status. The Quebec Premier detailed that fines of up to $1,000 could be issued per person caught breaking them—particularly for throwing parties in homes where hosts are having guests over, gatherings in parks or other outdoor public spaces, and for anyone not wearing a mask at a protest.
It comes at a time when Montreal continues to plan peaceful gatherings for both the death of Joyce Echaquan at the hands of nurses and anti-maskers who have been holding rallies in public recently.
Legault said that the warrant process for police to enter homes and issue fines could be expedited.
"If you have a party in your own home, you are not complying with the law and you’re putting everybody’s lives at risk. When this occurs, police will be able to give them a fine," Legault said. "There are people who will collaborate and accept to opening their door, but if a person doesn’t want to open their door, police officers will be able to obtain a warrant from a judge the same night in order to be able to give a ticket."
"Police officers are not going to start knocking on doors at random," the Quebec Premier added to this statement. "We will do this only if there are reasons to believe there is non-compliance with the law.”
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