Mother tells Quebec inquest she can't fathom how her son could die in the cold
More than three years after her son's death, Suzanne Chemaganish still can't understand how he could have been allowed to die in the cold outside a homeless shelter in a big city like Montreal.
Chemaganish told a coroner's inquest on Wednesday her son Raphael André grew up in the woods with his Innu family in northern Quebec and was used to cold weather.
She said that in her village, people aren't left outside in winter. "In our community, it’s cold," she said. "When someone knocks, we open the door and let them in.”
Coroner Stéphanie Gamache is presiding over the inquest into the death of André, who was originally from Matimekush-Lac John, near the Labrador boundary. He was 51 when he died in January 2021 inside a portable toilet close to a Montreal homeless shelter he frequented.
The death came after Quebec had imposed a nighttime curfew to curb the spread of COVID-19, and after André's usual shelter had suspended overnight services due to a plumbing issue and an outbreak of the virus.
After the death, a legal clinic representing homeless people sought and obtained a court order exempting homeless people from the curfew. The provincial government then agreed to formalize the exemption.
The inquest, which began in May, has heard from dozens of witnesses, including police officers, health and social services workers, and Indigenous leaders.
Chemaganish testified Wednesday alongside André's brother, Ghislain André, as well as another family member who interpreted for her.
She told Gamache she hopes the inquest will result in more spaces and better treatment for people who are homeless, noting she had visited the shelter where her son stayed and saw folding beds with no sheets.
Both she and André's brother questioned why there aren't enough spaces for people to go, and wondered how they get enough to eat.
"Montreal is big, why can't they find a house for them?" she asked.
Gamache agreed with the mother about the need for more services, but reminded her that over 108,000 people had benefited from a warming tent that was erected in a downtown Montreal square in André's memory.
"That shows to what point Raphael touched people," the coroner said. Chemaganish, in turn, expressed gratitude for the inquest and the coroner's efforts to improve conditions for homeless people.
"She had felt she was alone," the translator said.
The inquest is expected to finish later this month.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Hezbollah confirms its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike
Lebanon's Hezbollah group confirmed on Saturday that its leader and one of its founders, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut the previous day.
Dozens dead and millions without power after Helene's deadly march across southeastern US
Hurricane Helene caused dozens of deaths and billions of dollars of destruction across a wide swath of the southeastern U.S. as it raced through, and more than three million customers went into the weekend without any power and for some a continued threat of floods.
They hit it off on vacation but then he went silent. So she decided to pick up the phone
When a few weeks passed and Nana Prempeh still hadn’t heard from the guy she met on vacation, she turned to her friends for advice.
This 'old barn' is a monument to Canada's hockey roots, but its future is unlear
Windsor, N.S. has long-claimed to be the 'birthplace of hockey.' Local historians believe the game has roots in the town, located in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
'I love you but I hate you.' What to do when you can't stand your long-term partner
It's often said there is a thin line between love and hate, but is it OK to sometimes hate your long-term partner? If you ask actress Jamie Lee Curtis, it's practically necessary.
Scientists discover hidden ancient forest on treeless island
Trees haven't grown on the Falkland Islands for thousands of years. But tree trunks and branches preserved in peat suggest the islands were once home to a forest.
Vance exuded calm during a tense debate stage moment. Can he keep it up when he faces Walz?
When two of his Republican rivals for an Ohio Senate seat nearly came to blows on live statewide television two years ago, JD Vance appeared unimpressed.
Canada booking seats on flights out of Lebanon as violence escalates
Global Affairs Canada began booking blocks of seats on the few remaining commercial flights leaving Lebanon on Friday as it issued another urgent plea for any Canadians in the country to leave immediately.
Walz has experience on a debate stage pinning down an abortion opponent's shifting positions
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz knows how to lean into abortion rights on the debate stage. He's done it before.