Justice has just approved a payment of 6 million by the City of Montreal to thousands of demonstrators targeted by mass arrests in the streets of the metropolis between 2011 and 2015.
This final green light allows the city to settle 16 collective actions, which sometimes dragged on for several years. Most of the events were related to the 2012 student strike.
“In each of the files, the plaintiffs alleged that the police forces of the City of Montreal had violated the fundamental rights of the demonstrators and had caused them damage”, summed up Judge Martin Sheehan, of the Superior Court, in his decision handed down. last week. “The agreement is fair, equitable and in the interest of the members. »
The agreement between the City of Montreal and the lawyers in the file was concluded last fall, but it had to be approved by the courts.
In the end, after paying the fees of the lawyers involved in the case, each protester will be entitled to an amount of around $1,500.
“We still worked ten years on it,” said M.e Marc Chétrit, one of the lawyers in the case, who indicated that his clients were satisfied with the agreement.
In addition to signing a check, the City of Montreal will have to post a letter of apology on its website for 90 days. The City “recognizes that certain actions taken by the police forces and the municipal administration with regard to the participants in the demonstrations targeted by these class actions have infringed some of their fundamental rights, thus causing them damage”, will indicate the message. “It is for this reason that the City of Montreal publicly apologizes to all these people. »