Quebec anti-suicide group loses legal challenge against municipality over ticketing

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MONTREAL - A Quebec religious group has lost a constitutional challenge after getting fined for going door-to-door in Waterloo, Que., to share its message about suicide prevention.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/05/2025 (224 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL – A Quebec religious group has lost a constitutional challenge after getting fined for going door-to-door in Waterloo, Que., to share its message about suicide prevention.

The municipality fined Groupe Jaspe several hundred dollars for violating a bylaw requiring non-profit groups to obtain a permit for “selling, collecting or soliciting.”

The group argued in a municipal court that the bylaw infringes on its freedom of religion and expression as enshrined in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Quebec provincial flag flies on top of the National Assembly’s main tower, January 18, 2023 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
The Quebec provincial flag flies on top of the National Assembly’s main tower, January 18, 2023 in Quebec City. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

Claude Tremblay, founder of the Magog, Que.-based group, lost his son to suicide.

He says it is his religious duty to go door-to-door to prevent others from taking their own lives.

Tremblay has not said whether he plans to appeal the ruling.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2025.

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