Bruno Marchand

Irish flag flies over City Hall for St. Patrick’s Day 

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Irish flag flies over City Hall for St. Patrick’s Day 

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

The green, white and orange flag of Ireland was raised at City Hall on March 17, the feast day of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. For the occasion, the mayor, city councillors, consuls of Ireland and Spain, members of the organizing committee of the Défilé de la Saint-Patrick de Québec (DSPQ) and two Irish wolfhounds were present.

“This flag on this mast is a decisive beacon so that people understand that we are wel- come here in Quebec City,” said the grand marshal of the 2025 DSPQ, Bruce Kirkwood. “Happy St. Patrick’s Day!”

“Heritage, history and the Irish community are very im- portant for Quebecers,” said Mayor Bruno Marchand. “It is important to renew and celebrate it annually and to repeat it again and again. We can talk about St. Patrick’s High School, Saint Brigid’s Home, the Celtic Cross, the Irish culture, Irish food, the pubs, the music, the festivities, et cetera. Quebec was and will continue to be influenced by the green, by what made us.”

The Irish community has been an integral part of Quebec City’s social fabric since the early 19th century. Countless St. Patrick’s High School alumni have left their mark on Quebec City, Quebec and Canada. Irish Quebecers celebrate their rich heritage and complex history loudly on the days leading to and following St. Patrick’s Day.

Among the numerous 2025 festivities in Quebec City, from March 15 to 22, is the DSPQ on March 22. The parade leaves St. Patrick’s High School at 2 p.m. Participants will march up Avenue Cartier and along Grande Allée and Rue Saint- Louis up to the Château Frontenac, where they will turn on Rue du Fort and Rue de Buade, ending at Place de l’Hôtel- de-Ville. Before and after the parade, families can search for the leprechauns who play tricks throughout the Old City.

Local historian Steven Cam- eron and his guests will give a talk at McMahon Hall on March 19 at 7:30 p.m. about Irish history in Quebec City. Celtic bands from near and far will perform throughout

the week, including Rosheen on March 20 at the Théâtre du Petit Champlain; the Pipes and Drums of the Chicago Police Department at the Blaxton on Avenue Cartier on March 21; the Toronto Fire Services Pipes and Drums at Le Trèfle on 3e Avenue the same evening; and Irish Moutarde at Grizzly Fuzz on March 22.

For more information, visit ville.quebec.qc.ca/saintpatrick.

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Sam Hamad recruiting candidates for City Hall campaign

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Sam Hamad recruiting candidates for City Hall campaign

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

An effort to “poach” a candidate from another party is providing more proof former Liberal cabinet minister Sam Hamad is preparing to launch a campaign for the municipal election in November.

Last week, Québec D’abord, the official opposition at City Hall, announced via news release the expulsion of Isa- belle Roy, one of the party’s seven councillors, when it was learned Roy “was in discus- sions with Sam Hamad to run as a municipal councillor on his team.”

Leader and mayoral candidate Claude Villeneuve said in the release, “This situation is causing a breakdown in the bond of trust between Ms. Roy and Québec D’abord. As a re- sult, I have made the decision, with the support of our caucus, to exclude Ms. Roy from our team.”

According to a source familiar with the situation the QCT contacted, Villeneuve became aware of Hamad’s overtures to Roy when a journalist who had learned of the “discussions” called him to get his reaction. Villeneuve then called Roy to confirm her conversation with Hamad.

Roy was on vacation with her family during March Break last week; she told the QCT in a message that she was not ready to comment on the situation. She has represented the Robert-Giffard district since her election in 2021 under the banner of Marie-Josée Savard, the designated successor of longtime mayor Régis Labeaume, who narrowly lost that year’s mayoral race.

Before running for council, Roy had a long career in event organization, including the 400th anniversary celebrations of Quebec City in 2008.

Quebec’s director of elections, meanwhile, has con- firmed it has received a request to reserve the name of a new party, called Leadership Québec, in the name of temporary leader André Simard.

Simard confirmed to Radio- Canada the request had been submitted with the list of at least 100 prospective party members, the names of two leaders and an official representative.

Simard, who ran Hamad’s provincial election campaigns, said, “I won’t hide from you that we would like Sam to launch in the coming weeks, so we are preparing the ground.”

The party name – which could be adapted to include Hamad’s name – has not yet been posted on the Elections Québec website.

In a related development, the Journal de Québec reported last week that two internet domain names had been reserved: samhamad.ca and equipesamhamad.ca. When accessed, both sites are said to be “under construction.”

Reached at his office for comment, Hamad told the QCT he’d “call back later.”

Hamad, 67, was the Liberal MNA for the Quebec City riding of Louis-Hébert from 2003 to 2017. Hamad was a minister in several portfolios in the governments of Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard, including minister of transport and minister responsible for the Quebec capital region. He resigned from cabinet and left politics in April 2017.

Mayor Bruno Marchand said in media reports he was “very eager” for Hamad to jump in the race. He told the Journal de Québec, “It’s about time. It’s been a long time. It’s the longest striptease in history. I can’t wait. He’s been telling everyone for months that he’s going to do it.”

Marchand said a Hamad administration would be “a step backward.”

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Tea, pastries and pleas for peace mark anniversary of mosque massacre

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Tea, pastries and pleas for peace mark anniversary of mosque massacre

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

Eight years have passed since the mass shooting at the Centre culturel islamique de Québec. Some 300 friends, relatives, community members and supporters of survivors and victims gathered over tea and pastries on Jan. 25 at the Manège Militaire to commemorate the event. They celebrated the lives of the six men who were killed and the 19 who were injured on Jan. 29, 2017, and shared messages of peace in uncertain times.

The ceremony opened with a performance by Canadian- Palestinian composer and pianist John Farah, that included a classical piece by Johann Sebastian Bach and “A Lullaby for the Children of Gaza.” No matter one’s position on the situation in Gaza and Palestine, the performance was impeccable and inspirational, reminding attendees of the innocence of children in war zones.

“We feel that every time we talk to people who were there or not, we are revealing our permanent scar. It also reminds us every year that we have to pay tribute to Ibrahima Barry, Mamadou Tanou Barry, Khaled Belkacemi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Azzeddine Soufiane and Aboubaker Thabti, our six fellow Muslim citizens whose lives were taken on the evening of Jan. 29, 2017,” said Mélina Chasles, member of the 29 janvier, je me souviens citizens’ committee and co-host of the event. “We are also sharing messages of peace, solidarity and hope for a future without Islamophobia, racism and hatred in all forms.”

Mayor Bruno Marchand spoke about the importance of hope amid tragedy and uncertainty, particularly in light of the re-election of Donald Trump. After a brief apology to Danielle Monosson, the U.S consul general in Quebec City, who was in the room, he said he believed “a lot of people had seen their flame of hope flicker” since Trump was elected. “We have to talk about hope – because if we don’t, then these six individuals will have died in vain – and to honour the survivors and their families,” said Marchand. “People are show- ing us that there is something worth building here. Hope is strong within this community and city.”

This is a sentiment felt by Muslims across Canada, according to Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s special representative on combatting Islamophobia. “Muslim Canadians live in constant worry of being attacked on their way to prayer, school, work or the park,” she said, referencing the white supremacist terrorist attack on June 6, 2021, in London, Ont. where four members of the same Muslim family were fatally injured. “The federal government has taken great measures to support the Mus- lim Canadian communities and other minority communities in Canada by putting in place strategies and plans against Islamophobia, hatred and racism. We all have a role to play to protect every Canadian’s right to be who they are and to live in dignity and safety.”

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Trudeau’s departure draws mixed reaction from local politicos

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Trudeau’s departure draws mixed reaction from local politicos

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

He won’t be gone from the scene until some time in March, but Justin Trudeau’s resignation instantly threw Canadian politics into a whirlwind of change amid the looming threats against Canada from incoming U.S. president Donald Trump.

On Jan. 6, the same day the U.S. Senate certified Trump’s election, Trudeau announced his decision to step down as Liberal Party leader and prime minister once a new leader is chosen.

The Liberal Party executive has picked March 9 as the date members will choose a suc- cessor to the man who revived the party and led it to three election victories but resisted stepping down as his popular- ity plunged and his caucus urged him to exit.

The opposition parties in Parliament have vowed to defeat the Liberal minority government at the earliest opportunity. That could come anytime after March 24, the date Parliament returns after the governor general granted Trudeau’s request to send the House of Commons into recess.

When – not if – that happens, Canadians likely will go to the polls in May.

In the wake of Trudeau’s not-unexpected announcement, reaction was swift and in most cases predictable.

One of Trudeau’s most dependable ministers and his Quebec lieutenant, Jean-Yves Duclos, the MP for the downtown Québec riding, said in a statement that the prime minister “will leave a lasting positive legacy for Canadians.” Duclos lauded Trudeau’s efforts to reduce child poverty and tackle the housing crisis, and on the local level, commit funding to the city’s tram- way project and buy back the Quebec Bridge.

Duclos told reporters at a scrum on Parliament Hill that Trudeau ultimately succumbed to Conservative Party and Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre’s “policy of lies, insults and contempt.”

Duclos’ Conservative counterpart, Charlesbourg–Haute- St-Charles MP Pierre Paul-Hus, replied to the QCT’s request for comment with a statement replicating Poilievre’s comments. “Justin Trudeau’s resignation changes nothing, because the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada will come from the same team that supported Mr. Trudeau over the past nine years, marked by disastrous economic policies.

“A federal election must be organized quickly to allow Quebecers and Canadians to choose a new government with a strong mandate, capable of negotiating effectively with the Trump administration.”

Louis-Hébert MP Joël Lightbound, the only other elected Liberal in the Quebec City region, said Trudeau’s exit as leader under pressure from the party caucus is of his own doing.

In several media interviews, Lightbound said “you reap what you sow” with regards to the simmering caucus revolt that prompted the prime min- ister’s resignation. “Loyalty is a two-way street.”

Lightbound said on CBC Radio, “I am grateful for what he has accomplished,” including the acquisition of the Quebec Bridge in his riding, but “the style of Mr. Trudeau became a distraction to what we are trying to achieve as a party and a government.”

Lightbound’s office did not reply to a QCT request for an interview by press time.

As for hopes for the party in the looming election, Lightbound said, “I am still of the opinion the Liberal brand is strong.”

Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand, with whom Trudeau has worked closely on the tramway project, had a low-key and ambiguous response to the prime minister’s resignation.

In a statement, he said, “It is important to highlight the dedication that is required to be elected for more than 16 years in the Canadian Parliament. Time will allow us to recognize the progress Canada has made during Mr. Trudeau’s nine years as prime minister.” Premier François Legault, who has had a hot and cold relationship with Trudeau over the years, said in a statement, “Although our opinions have often differed, today I want to salute Justin Trudeau’s public service and his commitment to Canada. We have significant challenges ahead of us, particularly with the arrival of Donald Trump on Jan. 20. I will continue to work with Mr. Trudeau, his successor and the current government to avoid these tariffs.”

Trudeau’s departure draws mixed reaction from local politicos Read More »

Budget holds line on taxes, ups spending on public safety

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

Budget holds line on taxes, ups spending on public safety

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Describing it as a responsible financial plan that shuns electoralist goodies, Mayor Bruno Marchand last week unveiled his third budget, the last one before next year’s municipal election.

As promised, the budget keeps the average property tax increase at 2.9 per cent, below the rate of inflation. It increases spending for hiring more police officers and firefighters, addressing homelessness and building more housing.

The mayor said at a news conference Dec. 4, following a briefing by city finance officials, “The task has been enormous” to deliver sound city finances with a view to the future.

With the easing of inflation and improvement in the labour market, Marchand said there’s been “a certain return to normal” in the current year. That’s allowed the city to “maintain the quality of life and the num- ber of services the city offers free to citizens.”

The city’s overall operating budget for 2025 is $2.015 billion, an increase of $111.3 million or 5.8 per cent over the previous year. Of that amount, the largest outlay is $1.2 billion, or 61.5 per cent, for “expenditures of administrative units,” meaning salaries.

The next largest expense is $311 million to service the city’s debt, which stands at $1.523 billion; the new budget takes a $5.2-million bite out of the debt, the 10th straight year of reduction, totalling $146.7 million.

The budget cuts some $31 million in expenses with various reduction measures.

For residential property owners, the tax hike on an average home valued at $379,000 will be about $93, with only slight variations from borough to borough. The average tax total is $3,348.

The city plans to boost revenue from several sources, including $18.8 million from the new $60 vehicle registration fee to be implemented next year, and $6 million in levies on undeveloped land.

As announced prior to the budget, the city is adding an extra $10 million to fund a major boost in police and fire department hiring next year. The police force will be bolstered by 51 officers and the fire department by 36. There will be additional hiring in 2026 for a total of 173 new positions. The mayor said the beefed-up police force will be tasked with reducing gang violence.

Funds to stimulate housing are nearly tripling in 2025, from $24 million to $71 million. The same goes for funds to fight homelessness, from $2.2 million to $7 million.

The city is dipping into its climate change reserve fund to pay for two environmentally related projects next year: a new covered and refrigerated rink to be built next to the Duberger arena, as part of a plan to have such a facility in each of the city’s six boroughs, and a flood-prevention project along the Lorette River.

The budget does not ignore the tramway project, which has dominated City Hall politics since Marchand’s Québec Forte et Fière party came to power three years ago. The budget allots $262 million for tramway work in 2025, while the city awaits the final agree- ment on the project, possibly next week.

“We’re ready for 2025,” the mayor said. “It’s going well. Quebec needs it. The money is there. The partners are there. We’ve got a good vibe.”

Asked to explain why he calls the budget “non-electoralist,” Marchand said, “We’re not giving gifts that will make people happy for a while. We’re not taking the easy way; it’s about being responsible and rigorous. It’s not our money, it’s the money of the citizens.”

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Marchand, Schuldt, Krampus launch German Christmas Market festivities

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Marchand, Schuldt, Krampus launch German Christmas Market festivities

Cassandra Kerwin

cassandra@qctonline.com

The 17th German Christmas Market is now open! Until Dec. 23, locals and tourists can savour German flavours, mulled wine, gingerbread and pretzels, and enjoy puppet shows and parades featuring Saint Nicholas and the Krampus. Even Santa Claus – the real one – will stop in to hear children’s Christmas wishes.

Despite the lack of snow, Old Quebec City has trans- formed into a magical Christ- mas village. The wooden cabins decorated with pine branches and lights create a path from Place D’Youville to the Jardins de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville, Rue Sainte- Anne and Place d’Armes. The designers of the sites added something different to each one, such as stained glass birdhouse lanterns opposite the Cathedral-Basilica Notre-Dame de Québec, and a light-and-sound show amid a fir-tree backdrop developed by Clemens Schuldt, the musical director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, who officially launched the show.

During the opening ceremony on Nov. 21, Britta Kröger, president of the German Christmas Market, said, “I would like to greet those who have come from far away. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being so loyal for 17 years. Compared to the 400 years of history of Christmas markets in Germany, we still have a long way to go, but we’re getting there! Come several times, and each time, you’ll discover something new.”

“I hope you share this Christmas magic with many people,” said Mayor Bruno Marchand. “Britta Kröger believed in it 17 years ago, and year after year, she works hard to make it happen, and we thank her and her team for that.”

To hear a memorable Christmas story, find a seat at the Theaterplatz for the popular French-language marionette show Un Krampus au Village. The story suddenly springs to life as Krampuses, Saint Nicholas, an angel, an accordion player and a ringmaster parade through the market. According to European folklore, Saint Nicholas, the Krampus and an angel visit children on Dec. 5, Krampusnacht, to either give gifts to the good children or beat the naughty ones with a stick. In Quebec City, the Krampus is more of a prankster, handing out potatoes and onions and making people smile and laugh.

Weather permitting, giant marionettes of Saint Nicholas and Krampus will depart from Place D’Youville at 7 p.m. on Nov. 30 and Dec. 14, parading up Rue Saint-Jean to the Cathedral-Basilica. This always attracts a large crowd who marvel at the marionettes that seem to come alive in the torchlight.

Over the next three weeks, the German Christmas Market offers a packed schedule – arts and crafts workshops, games and puzzles in the Kinder- chalet Ravensburger; choirs singing carols in Place Royale and on Avenue Cartier; and live music in Place D’Youville. Be- tween activities, taste and sa- vour German-inspired dishes, and drinks like glühwein (hot wine with spices), schnapps and hot cider. The sites are open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday (clos- ing at 6 p.m. on Sundays), and exceptionally on Monday, Dec. 23, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The light show takes place once an hour after nightfall in front of the grove of fir trees near the basilica.

For more information, visit mnaq.ca/en/program.

Marchand, Schuldt, Krampus launch German Christmas Market festivities Read More »

City announces major public safety hiring spree

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City announces major public safety hiring spree

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

The Ville de Québec has announced plans for a record increase in the number of police officers and firefighters to keep pace with the growing population, city officials announced last week.

Mayor Bruno Marchand made the announcement on Nov. 19 at City Hall, flanked by Police Chief Denis Turcotte and Fire Chief Christian Paradis. The city plans to hire 101 new police officers and 72 new firefighters by the end of 2026, not counting normal retirement-related turnover – an increase of about 10 per cent – at a combined total cost of about $15 million including equipment. Marchand said the hiring spree was “the biggest wave of new hires at the [Service de Police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ)] in the past 25 years.” The cost will be borne entirely by the city.

“We have public safety at heart and we have to act in consequence,” Marchand said. “A feeling of safety, and safety itself, are sine qua non conditions for citizens to feel safe. The city has changed a lot since the early 2000s and the police and fire departments have to follow the rhythm. The population has gone up by 16 per cent, the police respond to 9,000 more calls per year, and we now welcome 4.3 mil- lion tourists a year. It seems banal … but it brings about a packet of challenges for our police and fire departments. … We want to act fast, to act in prevention, we don’t want to wait for a crisis.”

Marchand, Turcotte and Paradis cited the rising population, homelessness-related challenges, concerns about organized crime and stricter fire safety standards among the reasons new hires are necessary. “We’re sending a message that criminals aren’t welcome, that we want to live by the rule of law and make people feel secure,” said Marchand.

“As a police service, our engagement is to maintain people’s sense of safety … which is a precious asset,” said Turcotte. “If we’re proactive and we take the necessary measures, we’ll keep that trust.” He thanked city officials for responding to the SPVQ’s request for reinforcements, saying that the additional staff would improve the police service’s prevention and data collection capacity. Turcotte and Paradis said they were confident they would find enough new recruits to meet staffing targets.

“This is a very significant gesture, and we’re grateful,” said Paradis. “The population is going to benefit from this increased level of service. We aren’t playing catch-up, we’re planning ahead.”

Turcotte said police officers planned to meet with business owners in the coming weeks to discuss the potential impact of a greater police presence in their neighbourhoods.

City announces major public safety hiring spree Read More »

Quebec City to get new multifunctional public curling centre

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Quebec City to get new multifunctional public curling centre

Cassandra Kerwin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

cassandra@qctonline.com

The decade-long wait for a new curling centre is coming to an end. On Nov. 15, the Ville de Québec revealed images of the new multifunctional curling centre in Lebourgneuf, and broke ground at the new site.

The new curling centre is estimated to cost $39.5 mil- lion and scheduled to open in January 2027, just in time for the Canada Games (Feb. 27 to March 15). After the Games, city officials hope up to 700 people will use the centre weekly for curling and other activities.

“Local curlers have been asking for their centres to be restored or to build a new one for over a decade,” said Marchand. “The Ville de Québec listened and answered with an investment of $39.5 million. We did ask the provincial government for financial support, but they turned us down. We couldn’t make the curlers wait any longer.

Marchand said funding the curling centre was “a political choice in line with our values.”

“We want to become the most active city, with healthy citizens and fewer people in hospitals,” he said. The price tag is $12 million more than previously announced; this new budget includes all projected costs, according to Marchand and Coun. Jean- François Gosselin, member of the executive committee responsible for sports and recreation.

“The international-calibre facility can host large-scale events while allowing residents to benefit from these multipurpose facilities all year round. The centre will meet the highest quality standards for curling and become the only modern centre with eight lanes of ice – two series of four lanes – in Quebec,” said the mayor.

A CO2 refrigeration system will freeze the rinks. A geothermal system will heat the building. It will have a green roof, a training room, a play area, a multi-purpose room with a capacity of 300 people, a kitchen and a bar. Outdoor facilities will include a parking lot for 125 cars, bicycle park- ing, a picnic area, a synthetic mini-curling space and a small public square with a work of art.

Despite the ceremonial groundbreaking on Nov. 15, construction won’t begin in earnest until spring 2025. “We are working closely with the Jacques-Cartier and Victoria curling clubs in planning this fantastic project and I thank them for their commitment,” said Gosselin. The president of the Club de Curling Victoria, Claude Drolet, and the president of the Club de Curling Jacques-Cartier, François Bouffard, attended the groundbreaking and enthusiastically praised the plans for the new centre.

The Ville de Québec plans to purchase and resell the Club de Curling Jacques-Cartier and the Club de Curling Victoria  for an estimated $6 million to offset the cost of building the new centre. The site of the Club de Curling Jacques-Cartier in Montcalm is earmarked for housing and that of the Club de Curling Victoria in Sainte-Foy for industrial use.

Quebec City to get new multifunctional public curling centre Read More »

TRAM TRACKER: Anti-tram mayor would be ‘catastrophe’: Duclos

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TRAM TRACKER

Anti-tram mayor would be ‘catastrophe’: Duclos

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

With the next municipal election still a year away, Jean-Yves Duclos, the MP for the downtown riding of Québec and minister of public services and procurement, is warning that an anti-tramway mayor for Quebec City would be a “catastrophe.”

Speaking with reporters at an event on Nov. 1 in Quebec City, Duclos said, “It would be a disaster for Quebec City to deprive itself of money from the Canadian government.”

Duclos was responding to questions about a recent Le Soleil poll that shows support for Mayor Bruno Marchand and the tramway project slumping. The survey found 40 per cent of the sample of 514 online respondents supported the tramway, a drop of five points since a similar poll in June.

Marchand’s approval rating similarly has dropped to 38 per cent, a decline of seven points.

Duclos, who is also the federal Liberals’ Quebec lieutenant, said, “We’ll see what people want to decide, but I think it would be a disaster for Quebec City to miss its chance. We’re already behind all the other comparable cities in Canada. We have the chance to catch up.”

The federal government has already committed $1.3 billion to the initial tramway project and has promised to chip in more with the added costs of the project as proposed in June by the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec Infra.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said last week on social media if he becomes prime minister he would not invest in the tramway project but rather the “third link” across the St. Lawrence River the Quebec government is proposing.

Duclos said Poilievre “is misleading the people of Quebec City by making them believe that he could use the tramway money to invest in a third link.”

Marchand and his Québec Forte et Fière party took over the tramway project from the administration of Régis Labeaume when he won the 2021 election. Nineteen of the city’s 21 councillors are from parties that support the tramway, with the two-person Équipe priorité Québec caucus the only outliers. Former Quebec Liberal minister Sam Hamad, who is considering a mayoral bid, has said there are too many questions about the tramway for him to support it.

TRAM TRACKER: Anti-tram mayor would be ‘catastrophe’: Duclos Read More »

City, province differ on approach to organized crime

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City, province differ on approach to organized crime

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Mayor Bruno Marchand and Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel agree that an increased police presence is necessary to crack down on a recent uptick in gun violence in the city and surrounding areas, much of it linked to organized crime. They disagree on who should provide the personnel and how the operation should be funded.

Marchand has pressed the provincial government for greater funding for the Service de police de la Ville de Québec (SPVQ). Bonnardel, for his part, has resisted calls for more money for the SPVQ but repeatedly offered to send Sûreté du Québec (SQ) officers to the city as reinforcements.

Bonnardel wrote a letter to Marchand on Sept. 20, which was shared with several media outlets. “I am, like you, deeply concerned by the recent demonstrations of armed violence in the Capitale-Nationale and its surroundings. However, these events to which you refer are associated with organized crime and raise issues that not only go beyond the strict limits of your territory, but also require national-level police co-ordination in the interventions carried out to combat this phenomenon – a clearly established jurisdiction of the Sûreté du Québec,” the letter said.

The letter was sent to Marchand’s office minutes before a scheduled City Hall press conference the same day, and the mayor hadn’t received it before he met with reporters.

The day of the press conference, the SPVQ and the Service de Police de Lévis were among dozens of municipal police services working in collaboration with the SQ on a provincewide crackdown on organized crime.

“We have no problem collaborating with the SQ, on mixed units, on collaborative projects,” the mayor said. “We do that already. We help them, they help us, they do their job very well and we have a lot of respect for them. But the SPVQ doesn’t need the SQ beyond the collaboration we’re already doing. We need additional resources for the city police to do work that is ongoing, not for a week, not for a month, but sustainably. We have been attacking organized crime for a long time.”

Earlier this year, the SPVQ released statistics showing a 6.6 per cent increase in violent crime in the city from 2022 to 2023, and a 29 per cent increase in “crimes against persons” between 2020 and 2023. The Quebec Liberal Party is among those backing Marchand’s call for increased funding for the municipal police service. “I find it very surprising that [Bonnardel] is talking about calling in the SQ when they have a major personnel shortage themselves. The city needs constant support, and that’s not going to happen if [the Quebec government] sends the SQ in once,” said Liberal public security critic Jennifer Maccarone. “It isn’t fair to compare Quebec City to Montreal and Laval – it’s not the same situation at all, but you need to trust the city if they are saying they need support. The government needs to have a conversation with the mayor – not just to stand up and say no, but to listen.”

Marchand appreciated the support, telling reporters, “So much the better; [crime prevention] should be a trans-partisan issue.”

“We aren’t in the same situation as Montreal, but we don’t want to wait for the situation to get worse,” Marchand said. “We have a good police service. I believe in them and I thank them. We need more resources to help them, and I hope the provincial government will be present present for that.” As of Sept. 23, media reports suggested that despite the disagreement, the Ville de Québec intended to accept the offer of SQ assistance.

Chief Denis Turcotte of the SPVQ declined to comment. Martine Fortier, president of the city’s police union, told Radio-Canada the union sup- ported Marchand’s demands, but that the mayor “can’t hide behind the fact that he’s being refused additional funding.” She would not go into detail on the union’s demands due to ongoing negotiations.

City, province differ on approach to organized crime Read More »

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