Montreal police brought the hammer down on student demonstrators Tuesday night, enforcing a controversial law that brought tens of thousands into the streets in a protest earlier in the day that drew international support. By the end of a cat-and-mouse operation that marked the fourth straight night of clashes, police spokesman Simon Delorme said that at least 100 people had been arrested and two police officers had been injured. More related to this story Four other people were taken to hospital but the extent of their injuries was not immediately known. It is believed to be the first time Bill 78 and the city’s new anti-mask bylaw were used by police although Sherbrooke police used the provincial law on Monday to round up 36 protesters ... Continue reading →
Enlarge Image Quebec Education minister Michelle Courchesne responds to the Opposition during special debate on Quebec education law on Thursday May 17, 2012 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Clement Allard MONTREAL - There were warnings Friday from Quebec's legal community that the government's strict legislation aimed at ending the student crisis has gone too far. One law professor even compared the controversial Bill 78 to the now-defunct War Measures Act. Other observers, meanwhile, supported the law as a way to bring calm after months of unrest. The emergency legislation lays out stern regulations governing demonstrations and contains provisions for heavy fines for students and their federations. Lucie Lemonde, a law professor at Universite du Quebec a Montreal, said Friday that she was stunned by how ... Continue reading →
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION No charges in tragic shootings involving Montreal police By: The Canadian Press Posted: 5:15 PM | Comments: 0 (including replies) MONTREAL - There will be no charges laid against police who shot and killed two people in Montreal, including an innocent bystander on his way to work. A statement from the province's Director of Penal and Criminal Prosecutions says there were no grounds for charges. That assessment was based on an investigation by provincial police — who reviewed the work of the Montreal police officers involved in the June 2011 shooting. The incident earned national attention, triggered an angry anti-police march, and prompted calls for procedural changes at Quebec's police forces. Officers shot a homeless man, Mario Hamel, during ... Continue reading →
MONTREAL - With scenes of student unrest in the streets of Quebec, one might be tempted to ask: Where are the grown-ups?In some cases, they're right there with the students — on the front lines.Parents and teachers have been among the older demonstrators joining thousands of younger ones in publicly opposing the provincial government's tuition hikes.Perhaps the most striking example of that came earlier this week at a college where some adults reportedly wept when riot police shoved through a picket line to force open a school. Teachers said they were too traumatized to teach following the incident, so the school was closed again.Support for the strikers has not been limited to a few parents and teachers. Just ask Murielle Turpin-Godin."Having grandmothers around — I ... Continue reading →
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