Montreal police chief Sylvain Caron announces retirement
CBC
Citing "purely personal" reasons, Montreal's chief of police, Sylvain Caron, is stepping down just four years into a five year contract, after taking the reins at a difficult time in the police force's history.
Caron, 60, announced his retirement alongside Montreal mayor Valérie Plante at a press conference at city hall this morning. He will remain in the top job until April 22.
He was appointed head of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) in December 2018 for a five-year term, with his contract set to expire in 2023.
Plante thanked Caron for his "sacrifices and his service to the public," particularly during the pandemic.
She also saluted his response to recent gun violence among Montreal youth.
"If crime is changing then we change as well, and we adapt," Plante said, adding that Caron was leaving the police force in order and ready to respond to the future.
Caron had been at odds with Plante and her administration, notably over his proposal to close some neighbourhood stations and use cost savings to deploy more patrol officers.
Caron said while he regrets that he and the administration "perhaps lacked a bit of communication" at times, his retirement was "not at all" due to a conflict with the mayor.
Caron said he had made the decision to retire in December, after a long career in policing.
"There's never a good time to leave," said Caron. "The cumulative effect of 40 years of career led me to decided to take care of myself and my family."
Montreal opposition leader Aref Salem said in a statement Monday that Caron's early retirement shows Plante's administration is "out of touch" with the public safety needs of residents.
He cited city's "refusal to hire the promised 250 new police officers" and "the shifting positions on the body camera project" as examples, adding that the administration had "failed to maintain good communications and relationships with its police service and its chief."
Caron was the deputy director general of Quebec's provincial police force, the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), before retiring from that force in March 2018.
His appointment to the SPVM came at a time of restructuring for the city's police force.
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