'It’s difficult to accept': Quebec woman, 56, killed in suspected murder-suicide
A Quebec woman believed to be the province's 12th femicide victim this year is being remembered as an exceptional worker and respected woman in the community in Contrecoeur, about 60 kilometres northeast of Montreal.
"Everybody is shocked, shaken," said the city's mayor, Maud Allaire, Thursday. "I offer my sincere condolences to the family and everyone in the region."
Quebec provincial police confirmed Wednesday night that the bodies of two people found dead in Contrecoeur were a murder-suicide. The bodies were identified as Lisette Corbeil, 56 and David Joly, 49, Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Valérie Beauchamp told CTV News.
The small community of roughly 6,000 people is reeling as investigators believe Corbeil was murdered and then Joly took his own life.
"Lisette Corbeil was a determined woman, a very efficient woman, a very intelligent woman, a woman determined to achieve her goals, an emancipated woman who smashed several glass ceilings," Allaire said.
Allaire said she hopes the tragedy results in not just awareness about family violence but also concrete action.
"These are actions that we can’t explain, it’s difficult to accept. That’s why we have to offer our support and ensure that as quickly as possible that all together we make known the resources available for women, men, children and also the elderly because there are too many horror stories of violence everywhere," she said.
A source told CTV News that Joly and Corbeil had been in a relationship some time ago.
Corbeil worked as a director of strategic projects for the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de la Rive-Sud and was well known in her community.
The couple's bodies were found shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday in single-family dwelling on Marie-Victorin Street, near Montée St-Roch in Contrecoeur, about an hour northeast of Montreal.
Autopsies will be conducted in the next few days to determine the causes of death.
On Thursday, Quebec Premier Francois Legault offered his condolences and was asked what more his government could do, after investing heavily in programs for domestic violence victims.
"It's the responsibility of all our society to fight against this type of violence," Legault said. "I want to tell the population if you're aware of something, please denounce."
SUPPORT NETWORK
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.