Quebec curfew fines range from $500 to $6,000

As announced by Quebec Premier François Legault last night, a nightly curfew is coming into effect across the province tonight, for an undetermined length of time. People who are outside between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., without a valid reason for breaking the curfew (see below), could receive fines ranging from $1,000 to $6,000. Children under 14 years of age could be fined $500.

Exceptions to the 2022 Quebec curfew

A person whose presence is required at the person’s place of work or who is transporting goods needed for the ongoing activities of the person’s enterprise.
A person who is going to a pharmacy to obtain medication or pharmaceutical, hygienic or sanitary products.
A person who must go to or return from a hospital, a clinic, or a dentist’s or optometrist’s office.
A person who has to go to or return from a vaccination clinic.
A person who must visit a sick or injured parent.
A student who must participate in a face-to-face evening class or go to a laboratory in a recognized school.
A parent who must accompany his or her children to the home of the other parent who has custody of them.
A person who, for final travel to the person’s destination, must take an inter-regional or inter-provincial bus, a train, a plane or a boat providing ferry service
A person who must travel in order to comply with a court judgment, to respond to a summons to appear before a court, or to exercise custody or access rights as a parent.
A person who must accompany another person unable to drive to a medical appointment or an other essential service.
A parent who must accompany a sick child to the hospital.
A person travelling to give blood under the supervision of Héma-Québec.
A parent who must accompany an adolescent to his work.
Homeless people.

Though walking a dog does not appear on the government’s list of exceptions, Montreal police say that dog-walking will be permitted close to home after 10 p.m., as per as the rules established during the curfew at the beginning of 2021 (when the start time was 8 p.m.).

This article was originally published at 12:08 p.m. and updated at 1:57 p.m.

For more on fines, exceptions to the Quebec curfew and to download an employee attestation, please click here.

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