MONTREAL -- Montreal police (SPVM) were called to intervene at the scene of a Sunday morning rally that took place near a place of worship in Montreal, in the Outremont borough.

According to initial information, around a hundred people were gathered for a funeral, the SPVM said.

Several people were not wearing face coverings and did not respect the two-metre distance from others, as stipulated by health measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

A citizen who witnessed the scene alerted the police to the situation.

"A call was made to 911 to underline the gathering of several people during an outdoor funeral service at the intersection of Hutchison and Saint-Viateur streets," said spokesperson Caroline Chevrefils, who did not confirm whether it was a synagogue or a church.

She admitted, however, that the police did not issue tickets.

"When the police arrived on the scene, the people in the street had already dispersed," explained Chevrefils.

Council of Hasidic Jews vice-president Max Lieberman said the funeral was for a member of his community but disputed the police's account of what happened. Lieberman said that while around 100 people did attend, the whole event was held outside and all in attendance respected physical distancing and were wearing masks. 

He added that police were invited into the synagogue and left after seeing the funeral was not being held inside. 

Chevrefils confirmed a nearby place of worship was visited by officers. "They were able to meet a funeral official inside to make him aware of the orders issued by public health," she said, adding that the latter cooperated with the police.

The police will now submit a report, which could use images captured by surveillance cameras to corroborate possible break-ins.

It is the SPVM's morality squad, which will liaise with the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP), if necessary, explained the SPVM spokesperson.

Currently, public health has deemed Montreal a red zone (maximum alert level) and activities organized in a public place are prohibited, except for funerals, and again, the maximum allowed is 25 people. Keeping an attendance register is also compulsory for the owner of the premises.

While outdoor demonstrations are permitted, social distancing measures and the wearing of a mask or face covering are mandatory at all times.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2021.