The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, assured that she has full confidence in the ongoing investigation processes into the arson which left seven dead last March in Old Montreal.
No arrests have yet been made following this tragedy, although the Montreal Police Service (SPVM) announced in August that the blaze had been lit deliberately and that it was now conducting a murder investigation. .
“For families who are wondering what is going on in this matter, I want to reassure them: the SPVM and the Fire Department (SIM) have not skimped on efforts and the quality of resources from the start. Everything is being done to ensure that we find the culprits and what happened,” said the mayor on Wednesday at a press briefing at city hall.
Mme Plante was reacting to news published Wednesday in the Montreal Journalwhich suggested that the investigation was undermined and delayed by police blunders.
“I have full confidence that the SPVM and the Fire Department did everything by following the rules and doing their best from day one. I trust them,” she continued. “We put the tops on the investigation. Every effort was made, due to the scale of the human tragedy. »
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The Mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante
There are sometimes police investigations which take longer, for different reasons, but I cannot interfere in the process because it is a judicial case.
Valérie Plante, mayor of Montreal
The rules of art
“There was no blunder and no illegal action on the part of the investigators in this case,” insisted Inspector David Shane of the SPVM.
The police department even felt the need to issue a press release to correct the facts in the middle of the afternoon.
The article from Montreal Journal of Wednesday morning maintained in particular that SPVM Major Crimes investigators arrested a suspect and seized a cell phone without first obtaining authorization from a judge.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Inspector David Shane of the SPVM
It was also written that the investigator in the case would have been inexperienced and that “the devil would be in trouble with Major Crimes”.
“All the rules of law, procedures, best practices in terms of investigation are respected in this case which was taken with all the seriousness required from day 1. Especially since it is a matter of “a historic case in Montreal which, once completed, will turn to a public coroner’s inquest,” added Inspector Shane.
An army of investigators
According to our information, the head of the investigation into the fatal fire in Old Montreal at the SPVM Major Crimes has more than 30 years of experience, including 22 years in homicides.
No less than three teams of eight investigators each are working on the case and, to date, dozens of judicial authorizations have been obtained.
At the start of the investigation, an individual would indeed have been considered a material witness for a certain period before being arrested and released without charge.
Some investigators would have been opposed to this way of doing things, but it did not create any bickering, according to a source.
“In investigation teams, there are different visions. Investigators don’t always agree on how to do things, but things always get resolved in the end. A man was considered an important witness for a long period of time, but it had no impact,” she told us on condition of anonymity because she is not authorized to speak to the media. .
According to our information, the file has not yet been submitted to a prosecutor from the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions.
“This is a criminal investigation for which all possible charges are on the table, homicide, arson, negligence,” concluded Inspector Shane.
In addition to the police investigation, civil lawsuits have been filed by victims’ families. The owner of the building, Émile Benamor, is suing the City of Montreal, calling into question the municipal policy governing heritage buildings.
What there is to know
- The March 16 fire killed seven people, among the 22 people who were in the Old Montreal heritage building that night, including several who had rented an apartment on the Airbnb platform.
- The Montreal City Police Department announced on August 28 that the blaze had been set intentionally and that its investigation was now one of murder.
- THE Montreal Journal claimed Wednesday that police blunders were delaying the investigation and risked compromising its conclusion, which was denied by the police service and by Mayor Valérie Plante.
To contact Daniel Renaud, call 514 285-7000, ext. 4918, write to [email protected] or write to the postal address of The Press.