Hyperlawhypertext legal database Dupond v. City of Montreal et al. [1978] 2 SCR 770

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Dupond v. City of Montreal et al.

[1978] 2 SCR 770 Court SCC Decision date 1978-01-19 English

PartiesThe Attorney General for Canada Appellant·The City of Montreal and the Attorney General for Quebec Respondents·Claire Dupond Appellant·The Attorney General for Alberta Intervenor. Appellant·The Attorney General for Canada Mis en cause

Counsel (10)
Paul Ollivier, Q.C., for the appellant Attorney General for Canada.
Pierre Langevin, for the appellant Claire Dupond.
Michel Côté, Q.C., André Tremblay and N. Lacroix, for the respondent City of Montreal.
Louis Payette, for the respondent Attorney General for Quebec.
William Henkel, Q.C., for the intervenor.
Solicitor for the appellant, the Attorney General for Canada: Paul Ollivier, Ottawa.
Solicitor for the appellant, Claire Dupond: Gaétan Robert, Montreal.
Solicitors for the respondent, the City of Montreal: Péloquin, Bouchard, Badeaux & Allard, Montreal
Solicitors for the respondent, the Attorney General for Quebec: Pouliot, Dion & Guilbeault, Montreal.
Solicitor for the intervenant: William Henkel, Edmonton.

Judges Laskin, Bora; Martland, Ronald; Judson, Wilfred; Ritchie, Roland Almon; Spence, Wishart Flett; Pigeon, Louis-Philippe; Dickson, Robert George Brian; Beetz, Jean; de Grandpré, Louis-Philippe

Delivered by Majority

On appeal from Quebec

Subjects Constitutional law

Contents
1.—Anyone is entitled to the use and enjoyment of the streets, public places and public domain of the City of Montreal untroubled and in peace and public order.
2.—Assemblies, parades or other gatherings that endanger tranquility, safety, peace or public order are prohibited in public places and thoroughfares, parks or other areas of the City’s public domain.
3.—No person participating in or present at an assembly, parade or other gathering on the public domain of the City shall molest or jostle anyone, or act in any way so as to hamper the movement, progress or presence of other citizens also using the public domain of the City on that occasion.
4.—Any assembly, parade or gathering on the public domain which gives rise to a violation against any article of this by-law, or to any acts, behaviour or utterances which disturb the peace or public order shall ipso facto be an assembly, parade or gathering which endangers tranquility, safety, peace or public order under the terms of Article 2 of this by-law, and shall disperse forthwith.
5.—When there are reasonable grounds to believe that the holding of assemblies, parades or gatherings will cause tumult, endanger safety, peace or public order or give rise to such acts, on report of the Directors of the Police Department and of the Law Department of the City that an exceptional situation warrants preventive measures to safeguard peace or public order, the Executive Committee may, by ordinance, take measures to prevent or suppress such danger by prohibiting for the period that it shall determine, at all times or at the hours it shall set, on all or part of the public domain of the City, the holding of any or all assemblies, parades or gatherings.
6.—All persons shall immediately obey the order of a peace officer to leave the scene of any assembly, parade or gathering held on violation of this by-law.

[Page 784]

7.—Whoever participates in an assembly, parade or gathering held in violation of this by-law or otherwise contravenes, in any way, any provision of this by-law, shall be liable to either imprisonment or a fine, with or without costs, for the term or the amount that the Municipal Court of Montreal will determine, at its discretion, and failing the immediate payment of such fine, or such fine and costs, as the case may be, to imprisonment for a term to be determined by the said Municipal Court, at its discretion; the imprisonment for failure to pay the fine or costs shall cease at any time before expiry of the term determined by the Court, upon payment of the fine or of the fine and costs, as the case may be.

Footnotes

  1. [1] [1974] C.A. 402.
  2. [2] (1883), 9 A.C. 117.
  3. [3] [1902] A.C. 73.
  4. [4] [1896] A.C. 88.
  5. [5] [1899] A.C. 580.
  6. [6] [1960] S.C.R. 804.
  7. [7] [1966] S.C.R. 238.
  8. [8] [1954] S.C.R. 127.
  9. [9] [1941] 1 D.L.R. 548.
  10. [10] (1962), 38 D.L.R. (2d) 362.
  11. [11] [1953] 2 S.C.R. 299.
  12. [12] [1955] S.C.R. 799.
  13. [13] [1957] S.C.R. 285.
  14. [14] [1923] S.C.R. 681.
  15. [15] [1970] R.L. 276.
  16. [16] (1883), 9 A.C 117.
  17. [17] [1938] S.C.R. 398.
  18. [18] [1923] S.C.R. 681.
  19. [19] [1978] 1 S.C.R. 15; 73 D.L.R. (3d) 491.
  20. [20] [1962] O.R. 1134.
  21. [21] [1960] S.C.R. 804.
  22. [22] (1921), 61 D.L.R. 504.
  23. [23] (1962), 38 D.L.R. (2d) 362.
  24. [24] [1954] S.C.R. 127.
  25. [25] [1874], L.R. 6 P.C. 31.
  26. [26] [1941] S.C.R. 396.
  27. [27] [1958] S.C.R. 608.
  28. [28] [1960] S.C.R. 776.
  29. [29] [1960] S.C.R. 823.
  30. [30] [1963] S.C.R. 643.
  31. [31] [1964] S.C.R. 625.
  32. [32] [1966] S.C.R. 238.
  33. [33] [1953] 2 S.C.R. 299.
  34. [34] [1955] S.C.R. 799.
  35. [35] [1957] S.C.R. 285.
  36. [36] [1938] S.C.R. 100.
  37. [37] (1888), 21 Q.B.D. 191.