Residents should report racism involving police, Montreal North mayor says
Posted June 14, 2026 2:38 pm.
Last Updated June 14, 2026 6:09 pm.
MONTREAL — Montreal North’s mayor is urging residents who have experienced racial profiling, discrimination, or racist behaviour by police to come forward.
Christine Black made the appeal as Montreal North, a borough on the northeast side of Montreal, continues to grapple with allegations involving the city’s officers assigned to local police station 39.
“I am aware that for many citizens, this revelation is not just concerning, they also raise deep questions about trust in institutions,” said Black. “This trust is precious. In some cases, it is fragile.
She says the city will meet with residents and community groups in the coming weeks to listen to concerns, rebuild trust and encourage people to report any acts of racism.
“As the mayor mentioned, there have been issues of these similar type of discrimination taking place everywhere, not only in Montreal North,” said Dimitrios Jim Beis, Pierrefonds-Roxboro Mayor & Montreal’s executive committee member.
The gravity of the situation that came to light on Friday was incredibly serious. Again, pending an investigation, all of this is alleged. But having said that, the population has been dealt another blow here in Montreal North.
While the City of Montreal is already planning to invest $40 million for the implementation of body cameras, Beis acknowledges a lack of consensus and adds the city will consult organizations and stakeholders to ensure it reflects community needs.
“Conversations have taken place with our Mayor and the Minister of Public Safety in Quebec to accelerate the opportunity to get the Minister of Justice involved, because logistically is really what we’re talking about as being one of the barriers that’s holding us back,” said Beis. “And that hopefully will be accelerated as we move forward.”
“We have our mayor calling for the introduction of body cameras, which do not reduce police racism or violence, which actually give the police more power to surveil people and bring them to court and incarcerate people,” said Ted Rutland
Associate professor at Concordia University. “What we need are a drawback of resources to the police, spending that money in different ways that actually keep people safe and a look at powers that police have, including their power to do street checks and removing those powers.”
On Friday, Montreal police dismantled a night patrol unit and removed 16 officers from patrol duties amid allegations of racial profiling and discrimination.
Black says the scope of allegations came as a shock, though she acknowledged concerns about systemic racism in Montreal-North are not new.
Black also says the revelations have reopened old wounds and raised legitimate questions about trust in public institutions.
The mayor says officials will need to find new ways to rebuild trust so victims feel comfortable reporting discrimination.
