GATINEAU, QUE. -- Gatineau police (SPVG) say they've handed out nearly 40 tickets so far to people breaking Quebec's provincewide curfew.
The curfew first came into effect Saturday night. It runs nightly from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next four weeks.
In an email to CTV News, the SPVG said police ticketed 21 people on Saturday night and 16 people on Sunday night for being out past 8 p.m. without a valid reason. Each person was given a $1000 fine, which comes to $1,546 after administrative fees, the police said. More than 400 people were questioned on Saturday alone.
Fines for breaking the curfew range from $1000 to $6000.
On Saturday night, there was a small anti-curfew demonstration in Gatineau.
The MRC des Collines police, who patrol areas such as Cantley and Chelsea, said they issued one ticket over the weekend. Police questioned 147 individuals and said that the majority were workers or had a medical reason to be outside past curfew.
Exemptions to the curfew are in place for people who have to travel to and from work, or who need to seek medical attention or get medical supplies. Dog walking within 1 km of one's home is also permitted after 8 p.m.
