Judge denies request to suspend Montreal bylaw banning insults

A Quebec Superior Court judge has refused a request to suspend a new bylaw banning insults against employees of the City of Montreal, including police officers.

Justice Eleni Yiannakis says the lawyers arguing for the measure didn't meet the high bar of proof needed to suspend the application of a law.

The bylaw prohibits insults, harassment, threats, abuse and intimidation, as well as offensive and aggressive behaviour and can lead to fines of between $300 and $1,000 for a first offence, with subsequent offences carrying fines of up to $2,000.

A jurists' association and a legal clinic argued last month that the law is too broad and encroaches on fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression.

But Yiannakis wrote in an Oct. 29 decision that the arguments for and against the bylaw and its constitutionality will be heard in court at a later date.

She said the applicants didn't prove that allowing the bylaw to remain in place until then would result in irreparable harm.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 2, 2026.

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