Montreal Police Will Be Making Stops In Bars This Week
The move comes as nightlife resumes in the city.
Montreal police officers walking on rue Ste-Catherine in downtown Montreal.
Montreal police will be making stops at bars in the Plateau and Ville-Marie from March 17 to 20.
With bars reopening at full capacity, and returning to pre-pandemic closing times, officers are planning to ramp up visibility and enforce remaining pandemic rules.
"We'll be more visible in areas with a lot of people, starting around dinnertime and continuing into the early hours of the morning," said Montreal police spokesperson Raphaël Bergeron.
"It's a preventative measure. We want to help maintain a safe environment for customers and staff," he said.
One goal is to keep revellers from getting out of hand.
"It's a coincidence that the rules are changing now [the week of St. Patrick's Day]," said Bergeron.
He said the force is also taking extra care to connect with local business owners and help them avoid sound complaints, among other possible infractions brought on by a higher volume of patrons.
While restrictions like the vaccine passport have been lifted, masks remain mandatory when entering and moving around bars.
Montreal police performed a similar patrol of bars and pubs last weekend with no major incidents.