P-13.1 - Police Act

Section 353.1 Disposition versions

2001-06-21

353.1. Local municipalities having a population of less than 50,000 inhabitants that do not form part of a metropolitan community or a census metropolitan area and that on 21 June 2001 were being served by a municipal police force shall be governed by the following provisions.

Every municipality that had its own police force may continue to be served by that police force to the extent that the police force provides level 1 services at the latest on 1 June 2002. In such a case, the agreements requiring the municipality to provide police services to other municipalities shall be maintained, subject to the right of each municipality so served to withdraw from the agreement and be served by the Sûreté du Québec. Where the municipality that offered the services of its police force chooses to be henceforth served by the Sûreté du Québec, the agreements are terminated by operation of law.

Police services intermunicipal boards shall be maintained, subject to a unanimous decision of the parties to the contrary. Where an intermunicipal board is dissolved, every service agreement entered into between the intermunicipal board and municipalities that are not party to the agreement establishing the intermunicipal board is terminated by operation of law. Where an intermunicipal board is to continue to exist, any such service agreement is maintained, subject to the right of each municipality so served to withdraw from the agreement and be served by the Sûreté du Québec. Where one of the municipalities party to the agreement establishing the intermunicipal board wishes to be served by the Sûreté du Québec, the municipality must obtain the consent of the other municipalities party to that agreement.

All the municipalities forming part of a census agglomeration described in Schedule F may, provided that at least one of the municipalities was, on 21 June 2001, served by a municipal police force, agree to share, in accordance with the terms and conditions provided for in section 71, the services of the same police force. Such police force will, at the latest on 1 June 2002, be required to provide the services of the level prescribed by section 70. The Minister may, however, subject to the conditions the Minister determines, allow that only some of the municipalities forming part of the same census agglomeration share the services of a single police force.

The municipalities that elect to be served by a municipal police force must establish, in an organization plan, that the police force will meet the conditions set out above. The plan must be submitted to the Minister for approval within 30 days from publication in the Gazette officielle du Québec of the regulation replacing Schedule I to the Regulation respecting the amount payable by the municipalities for the services of the Sûreté du Québec, enacted by Order in Council 326-92 (1992, G.O. 2, 1115). Every municipality that fails to do so is deemed to have elected to be served by the Sûreté du Québec.

2001, c. 19, s. 12.