New Quebec team will help police in cases where people are drugged
The Quebec government is creating a coordination unit that will support police when they're investigating cases of people being drugged without their knowledge.
Public Security Minister François Bonnardel announced Tuesday morning that the Forensic Sciences and Legal Medicine Laboratory will receive $2.3 million to set up the specialized team.
With this new coordination unit, the government hopes the lab can more closely monitor cases where victims are unknowingly drugged, for example with the so-called 'date rape drug' GHB, so that it can follow up with the police forces responsible for investigations.
"In particular, we want information to flow properly if several victims are drugged in the same place, or in different places with the same substance," he said.
According to Bonnardel, "thanks to the vigil performed by the laboratory, investigators will have better information to identify and catch these criminals."
The creation of this team is one of 11 measures announced last summer by Bonnardel to better support people who are drugged.
The government said anyone who believes they have been the victim of unknowing intoxication can go to the emergency room, where a urine kit can be used to detect substances.
- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 30, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Scottie Scheffler isn't the first pro golfer to be arrested during a tournament
Scottie Scheffler's arrest hours before his second-round tee time at the PGA Championship in Louisville, Kentucky, will go down as one of the most shocking in professional golf history. It certainly wasn't the first, though.
NEW What a wildfire survivor says she regrets not grabbing before leaving home
Carol Christian had 15 minutes to evacuate her home during the Fort McMurray wildfires in 2016. She ended up losing the house and everything inside. Now, she wants to share the lessons she learned.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
Canadian convicted of attacking Nancy Pelosi's husband with a hammer sentenced to 30 years
The man convicted of attempting to kidnap then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and attacking her husband with a hammer was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison.
World No. 1 golfer charged with police officer assault before PGA Championship second round
World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charged with the assault of a police officer in what he called a 'chaotic situation' before being released in time to start his second round at the PGA Championship on Friday.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
B.C. optometrist warns against trending eye colour change procedure
A medical procedure that can permanently change a person's eye colour may be trending on social media, but a B.C. optometrist is warning about the significant risks associated.
An airplane passenger was spotted in an overhead bin. This was the reaction
Airplane overhead compartments. Home to luggage of all shapes and sizes, the odd coat or two, several duty-free bags, a fair bit of dust and… passengers?