City approves grant for anti-pimping police teams

Summary#

Montréal city council adopted a unanimous position to authorize a grant from the Ministère de la Sécurité intérieure for two existing SPVM teams. The stated goal is to continue their work against pimping and child pornography; the agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting.

  • The proposed grant is $2,978,100 for April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027: $2,406,300 for the Équipe intégrée de lutte contre le proxénétisme (integrated team against pimping) and $571,800 for the Équipe intégrée de lutte contre la pornographie juvénile (integrated team against child pornography).
  • The city’s position also authorizes 14 temporary police positions and one temporary civilian position for the same period.
  • The SPVM director would sign a funding agreement setting out administrative and financial details.
  • The teams’ work includes investigations, criminal intelligence, disrupting criminal networks, and helping direct victims to appropriate services.

What it means for you#

  • Residents: The decision concerns SPVM staffing and funding, not a new public service or a new offence. City staff say the teams’ work includes investigating exploitation and helping connect victims with services.
  • SPVM: If the agglomeration council approves the funding, the service would have temporary authorization for 14 police positions and one civilian position for the funded period.
  • Taxpayers: The grant would cover 90% of the listed team costs. The city would fund the remaining 10%.

Money#

The proposed grant is $2,978,100; the decision also identifies $330,900 in city funding for the teams’ listed costs.

  • Listed costs total $3,309,000: $2,673,700 for the anti-pimping team and $635,300 for the child-pornography team.
  • The city’s share is $267,400 for the first team and $63,500 for the second.
  • The decision authorizes a 2026 budget increase of $2,233,600 in both revenue and spending, and an adjustment to the budget base for the following year. The supplied material does not give the amount of that adjustment.

What is unclear#

  • The funding agreement, which would set administrative and financial details, is not included.
  • The material does not specify what the following-year budget-base adjustment will be.
  • It does not set out performance measures or reporting requirements for the teams.

Case for#

  • City staff say the grant would maintain specialized police capacity built up since 2021 and support continued investigations into sexual exploitation.
  • The funding would support work on online exploitation, criminal intelligence, disrupting networks, and directing victims to services.
  • The grant covers 90% of the teams’ listed costs, with a defined city contribution.

Case against#

  • The grant is temporary, while the decision also calls for an adjustment to the following year’s budget base whose amount is not stated.
  • The city would pay $330,900 of the listed costs; the grant does not cover the full amount.
  • The material describes expected benefits but does not provide measures to show whether the teams achieve them.