Montreal police and the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) have been ordered to pay about $292,000 in damages to four scene technicians who survived the Métropolis election night shooting.
In what is believed to be a political attack, lone gunman Richard Henry Bain walked into the venue on September 4, 2012, killing one stagehand and seriously injuring another outside the venue where he gave the ex-leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ) Pauline Marois. his victory speech.
The four technicians, who were friends and colleagues of the victims, sued for damages, claiming they continue to suffer trauma after witnessing the shooting and death of a colleague.
One plaintiff said he was surprised to see the lack of police at the back of the premises when he checked in for his shift.
Quebec Superior Court Judge Philippe Bélanger also criticized the security plan around the Métropolis amphitheater that night.
Bélanger said in his Nov. 30 ruling that while he did not question the “good faith” of the police that night, “the misalignment of police forces in the implementation of their security plan” allowed that the armed man access the place.
The judge said that given the tense political climate at the time, a perimeter should have been set up behind the theater but “both police forces together failed in their duty to protect the public”.
Proper safety could have prevented the death, injury and trauma, Bélanger said.
The judge has awarded each plaintiff $72,800 in damages. The plaintiffs had initially asked for $120,000.
Dave Courage, who was shot and wounded by Bain, said he thinks it’s unfortunate that the police appear to be taking most of the blame. He emphasized that his case was different as he suffered physical injuries.
“Security is a sensitive issue, they did the best they could,” he said.
“Nobody was going to predict that a madman would get out of a van in a bathrobe with a gun and shoot people. He saw a moment of silence and acted on it, then the police got involved.”
“The Sûreté du Québec reiterates its desire to continuously improve its practices and to work together with its many partners to protect Quebec citizens, elected officials and, ultimately, protect a foundation of our democracy,” he said. say SQ spokesman Patrice Cardinal in a statement.
He also pointed out that there was no incident in the three subsequent provincial electoral campaigns.
Attorney Virginie Dufresne-Lemire said the four plaintiffs are satisfied with the ruling. He also said the judge’s decision will help them heal from the traumatic experience (Rowan Kennedy/CBC)
The Montreal police service said it is “sensitive to the consequences of the tragic event.”
“As a result of these events, significant changes were made. These changes include the centralized management of all major events by our command center, which promotes close coordination with all partners involved,” he said in a statement .
A “healing process”
The four plaintiffs consider the ruling a victory, said their attorney Virginie Dufresne-Lemire.
“It was an extremely traumatic event because they feared for their lives and saw a friend and colleague die in front of their eyes,” the lawyer said.
“I hadn’t heard from them for years, they were treated as witnesses, but they suffered a lot of trauma. Having a judge listen to them was very important to them.”
He said the money will be used in part to cover legal fees and therapy costs. The judge also called out the Montreal police for their lack of empathy.
“This is an important part, I think government institutions need to show more respect and compassion for victims,” Dufresne-Lemire said.
“There has to be trust … you have to act respectfully with people.”
Along with the money, the plaintiffs hoped for some institutional changes. The events of 2012 were the result of poor communication between the Montreal police and the SQ, and also of internal communications, according to the ruling. But the judge acknowledged that there have been improvements over the past decade.
The plaintiffs will not comment on the sentence until the appeal period has expired.
A police officer and a firefighter are seen here outside the compound after the shooting. In his ruling, the High Court judge said adequate security could have prevented the incident. (La Presse Canadienne/Paul Chiasson)
PQ addresses the decision
The three PQ deputies addressed the sentence in the National Assembly on Friday morning, saying they were satisfied with the result.
“I think the judge’s decision is the right one… and I hope the police will not appeal because [the plaintiffs] they’ve been through enough trauma,” said Joël Arseneau, adding that the event was also traumatic for the party.
“To turn the page on this event we have to accept the sentence. The police will have to swallow this pill.”
Pascal Bérubé, who was campaigning with the PQ at the time, said he still remembered that night well and was nervous to see that Québec Solidaire was holding its election night party at the same venue.
PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, however, stressed that the SQ has made “significant improvements” in the last ten years, especially in the election campaign.
“If they tried to hide certain aspects of what happened in Métropolis, that’s unacceptable,” he said.
“But has the situation evolved in terms of how things work? In all likelihood, yes, and we’ve seen that.”
Former PQ MP and current Education Minister of the Coalition Avenir Québec Bernard Drainville was in Métropolis that election night with his family. He said he was not surprised by the court’s findings.
“Since it happened, we asked how this guy could get so close to the new prime minister and all the people gathered?” he said
“That night was very close. I hope the police learned their lesson that night so it never happens again.”