Over $10,000 in social distancing fines issued at Quebec house party

Police were called out to Terrebonne, a small town north of Montreal after they received a call about a small house party in the area. Officers from the Terrebonne-Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines-Bois-des-Filion intermunicipal force said they could hear loud music playing from inside the residential home.

The homeowners refused to cooperate with the officers, who suspected that about seven or more people were inside the dwelling. The police obtained a warrant in order to enter the home and once inside they issued the party-goers fines for breaching public health orders that have banned public gatherings for the duration of the pandemic.

Each of the seven individuals present at the house party received a fine of $1,546 for not complying with the social distancing measures implemented under public health orders.

It was on March 21 that Quebec banned all gatherings of more than two people. At that time, police requested the public's assistance in reporting those gatherings of more than two people to law enforcement.

The local police said that while the vast majority of residents are complying with the public health orders, some have not and that they are not afraid to enforce those orders with hefty fines.