Public Security

By Joel Goldenberg
The Suburban

Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi is asking the town council to give him the power to appoint special constables in case of an emergency.

Levy introduced a notice of motion June 3, as is the procedure, and the bylaw will be voted on at either a special meeting in June or at the next regular meeting in July. The notice of motion was given by Councillor Michael Goldwax and, from comments overheard by The Suburban, is likely to be approved unanimously.

The resolution notes that Section 108 of Quebec’s Police Act authorizes a town council to grant the Mayor such a power. The resolution says that the Mayor can authorize, “for a period not exceeding seven days, special constables with authority, under the supervision of the Director of the Montreal Police Service (SPVM), to prevent and suppress offences under the municipal bylaws within all or part of the territory of the Town of Hampstead.”

Levi told The Suburban that the bylaw, which has been adopted in other municipalities over the years, is being passed as a precaution in light of recent attacks against Jewish institutions, including the Belz School last week in CDN-NDG and other attacks on institutions in Toronto and Vancouver in recent days.

“The rampant wave of violent antisemitic attacks on Jewish institutions witnessed last week demands immediate action,” Levi posted on X. “I will not hesitate to invoke this power at the earliest opportunity through an emergency decree, ensuring the safety and security of all Jewish institutions in Hampstead. Enough is enough.”

The Mayor told The Suburban that the motion is “much broader than just armed constables.

“We can have unarmed special constables. We were talking about different tiers, special constables that can carry taser guns, that would have the certification to give traffic violations, if we were having a major event and we thought we needed to ensure safety on the road. There’s different scenarios on what would constitute an emergency. This gives us the ability to navigate through that.”

Levi added that the motion “gives Hampstead Public Security an additional tool to deal with [emergency] situations.”

The Mayor said there is no specific threat to Hampstead.

“This is just a precautionary measure. We’d rather be proactive. We received a comprehensive legal opinion on this, we did a deep dive. We’re looking at all kinds of measures to offer a next level of security for our community.” n