A Montreal police officer has been convicted after evicting a 66-year-old tenant, a case that has drawn attention to the challenges faced by renters and the potential for abuse of power.
Jean-François Belhumeur, a member of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), was recently found guilty of evicting his tenant “in bad faith,” according to reports from Le Journal de Montréal. A judge with the Rental Board (Tribunal administratif du logement) also denied his request this month.
The SPVM is currently involved in several other investigations, including a search for suspects in a fatal hit-and-run in Ville-Marie and a collision in Saint-Léonard. Details about these and other ongoing cases are available on the SPVM website.
The police service is also seeking potential victims of Hervé Rouleau Turcotte, who was arrested in connection with the sexual exploitation of minors. They are investigating potential victims related to the arrest of Mark Pomeranz regarding a sexual assault case.
In a separate development, the SPVM recently clarified its policy on police stops, stating that officers will now be required to clearly inform individuals they are not under arrest and are free to leave. This change, announced by SPVM Director Fady Dagher, comes after concerns about racial profiling were raised in a 2019 report, which found that Black, Indigenous, and young Arab individuals were four to five times more likely to be stopped by SPVM officers than white individuals. More information about the updated policy can be found here.
The SPVM also maintains a list of cold cases, including the 2018 disappearance of Elisha Vernon Davis.
