Quebec to spend $31 million to boost security at courthouses after violent incidents

By The Canadian Press on June 3, 2024.

LONGUEUIL, Que. – The Quebec government is pledging $31 million to add security checkpoints and more special constables to the province’s courthouses after recent violent incidents that raised safety concerns.

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette and Public Security Minister François Bonnardel made the announcement today in Longueuil, where an interpreter was seriously injured in a courthouse knife attack early this year.

Part of the funding announced today will allow walk-through metal detectors to be added at nine courthouses by fall 2025, including in Longueuil, Laval, and Quebec City.

The bulk of the funding – $23.4 million – will go toward training and hiring more special constables, who are responsible for ensuring security in courthouses.

A number of groups representing Quebec justice system workers have been lobbying the government to increase security at courts after the Jan. 9 Longueuil knife attack and a more recent alleged assault of a youth protection worker at the courthouse in Sherbrooke.

As of earlier this year, only certain Montreal-area courthouses had airport-style security in place with metal detectors and X-ray equipment.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2024.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A headline on a previous version was missing the word ‘million.’

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