2 Montreal Police Officers Suspended After Allegations of Humiliation Against Homeless People

File photo: A Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) patrol car in downtown Montreal. Photo: Jonalongnose, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The people who reported it were the accused officer's own colleagues. That detail, buried in Friday's La Presse investigation, is what makes this Montreal police story so hard to look away from: two officers from the city's downtown station have been suspended after allegations that read like a worst-case scenario for anyone who has ever needed to call for help.

What La Presse uncovered

The French-language daily reported Friday, October 16, that two officers from SPVM Station 21 — the downtown station covering the core of Montreal — had been suspended over separate alleged incidents of misconduct toward marginalized people.

The first allegation is the one that has the whole city talking: according to La Presse, which cites confidential sources, one officer allegedly urinated on a homeless man while on duty, out on a public road. The officer, who has only a few years of experience with the force, has not been charged with any offence.

The second case surfaced in recent weeks: another officer from the same station was suspended after allegedly taking photos of a suspect placed in a humiliating position during an arrest — and making fun of him. No charges there either. According to La Presse, neither officer has yet presented a formal defence. In both cases, it was the officers' own colleagues who blew the whistle.

The force, the mayor and the union respond

The SPVM confirmed both suspensions and said its Professional Standards Division has opened an internal investigation. "Be assured that the SPVM takes any allegation against one of its members seriously," police told CBC News. "We are determined to get to the bottom of things and take the required actions." Citing Quebec's privacy law, the force declined to say more.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada addressed the allegations Friday, saying they "offend the dignity to which everyone is entitled" — and she made a point of praising the officers who blew the whistle. Even the officers' own union struggled to mount a defence: the Montreal police Brotherhood called the allegations "shocking" and said it "condemns any violations to a person's dignity, as well as any behaviour that is reprehensible and contrary to our values."

A pattern the city can't wave away

Here's the part that turns two ugly allegations into a credibility crisis: this is the second SPVM station in weeks to land in the headlines. Station 39 in Montreal North — a 16-member night patrol unit — was disbanded after accusations of racially profiling Black and Arab residents, and of cutting or ripping out people's hair to keep as "trophies." At least four officers were suspended, the rest were scattered to other stations, and evidence went to the Crown prosecutor's office for analysis.

Two stations. One month. The same force. Montrealers are entitled to ask what else is going on in the ranks.

The march went ahead anyway

The allegations broke on the same Friday as La Nuit des sans-abri, Quebec's annual night of awareness and solidarity with people experiencing homelessness. Hundreds marched through Montreal that evening — many carrying the day's news with them.

"I was homeless, too. And I know how it feels to be harassed, especially by a police force that's supposed to protect us and help us," said Morgana, one of the marchers, in comments to CityNews. Another marcher, Eli Leblanc, said officers "take too much advantage of their authority." A community advocate put it more bluntly to CTV News: "It's so sad and disrespectful... This is humiliation. That's what this is. This is humiliation."

Late Friday, the SPVM reiterated that "individuals experiencing homelessness are an integral part of our community," and invited anyone who has experienced discriminatory behaviour by an officer to call 514-280-0200.

The investigations are ongoing, and the allegations remain just that — allegations. But the fact that fellow officers reported their own says something about how serious this looked from the inside. Montreal will be watching what the Professional Standards Division does next.

Sources

• CBC News — "2 SPVM officers suspended after report officer urinated on unhoused person" (Oct 16, 2026) — youtube.com (CBC News)
• Global News — "2 Montreal officers accused of degrading acts, including peeing on unhoused person" (Oct 17, 2026) — youtube.com (Global News)
• CityNews Montreal (via EuropeSays) — "Two downtown Montreal police officers suspended after allegedly mistreating homeless people" (Oct 16, 2026) — europesays.com
• CityNews Montreal (via EuropeSays) — "Hundreds march in Montreal for La Nuit des sans-abri amid police allegations" (Oct 18, 2026) — europesays.com
• CTV News (via EuropeSays) — "Montreal police: 2 officers suspended for alleged abuses of power" (Oct 17, 2026) — europesays.com