Montreal police are expected to get a raise: here's a snapshot of their upcoming contract

Montreal police officers join police forces from across Canada and the U.S. arrive for funeral services on Thursday, April 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

Montreal's executive committee has approved a new contract for the city's police force, which includes wage bumps and a series of provisions aimed at retaining staff. 

While a collective agreement will still need to be approved by council later in the summer, the city released a snapshot of what that contract could look like on Friday. 

Within that snapshot is a general wage increase of 2 to 2.5 per cent, and a 7.5 to 15 per cent bump as part of the "metropolis bonus." Officers will also be eligible for a 2 per cent "patrol bonus," and the starting salary for permanent auxiliary constables and cadets was also raised. 

The contract would also include a new breakdown of shift schedules in order to "promote attraction and retention." There are also plans to create a new neighbourhood foot patrol. 

There are also provisions to allow retired officers to be rehired. 

"This agreement will ensure the attractiveness and retention of the SPVM's police force," said Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante in a Friday press release.

The attention to staffing comes after repeated complaints from police union heads who say officers are consistently overworked. 

In January, the Montreal Police Brotherhood said it had recorded a record number of resignations and a significant increase in officers seeking employee assistance. 

The union says 74 officers resigned in 2022, leaving the force with 45 fewer members than there were in January, 2021. 

At the time, union head Yves Francoeur told CTV he believed stress was the main reason for the increase in departures, adding that there was simply "too much pressure in Montreal."

According to a CTV News analysis last September, the SPVM offered a starting salary of $42,000 for new officers, which is the lowest starting salary among major Canadian cities. 

'WHAT ARE WE GETTING IN RETURN?'

"Ordinary people may not have a problem with such an increase for police salaries and expenditures, but they do want to know, what are we getting in return?" asked racial-justice advocate Fo Niemi in an interview with CTV News.

Niemi is the executive director of the Centre for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR), an advocacy group with a mandate to fight racial profiling.

He applauded what appears to be an emphasis on community policing, and said he hopes the city clarifies its objectives towards integrating police into neighbourhoods. 

He also called on police to use any added incentives to hire a more diverse police force -- "to hire more police officers who look like the people of Montreal, in all their diversity."