Quebec community mourns loss of nine-year-old girl killed in snow fort collapse
A small community west of Quebec City is mourning the loss of a nine-year-old girl who died after a snow fort collapsed.
Provincial police (SQ) say it happened Sunday afternoon in the woods behind a rural home in Saint-Ubalde in the Portneuf RCM.
“1,500 inhabitants…everyone knows each other,” says Saint-Ubalde Mayor Guy Germain, adding many families have lived in the community for generations. “It’s touched all of us.”
First responders tried to revive the girl, but she was declared dead in hospital. A seven-year-old girl was able to get out with minor injuries.
On Monday, officials from the municipality and local health authority visited the victim’s school to offer support to students and anyone who may need it.
“We are very sad about the situation, to lose a student, it’s nothing but tragic,” says Marie-Claude Gignac, director of communications at Portneuf School Service Center.
The town also posted a condolence message on its Facebook page, offering sympathies to the family.
“We cannot find the words to express the immense sadness we have after learning about this tragedy,” it read in part. “The loss of a child is an immeasurable ordeal.”
Police are investigating the girl's death.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Special rapporteur Johnston rejects call to 'step aside' after majority of MPs vote for him to resign
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's efforts to assure Canadians that his government is adequately addressing the threat of foreign interference took a hit on Wednesday, when the majority of MPs in the House of Commons voted for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside,' a call Johnston quickly rejected.

UPDATED | 'I heard a cracking noise': 16 children, 1 adult injured in platform collapse at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar
Seventeen people – most of whom are young students – were hospitalized after a falling from a height during a field trip at Winnipeg's Fort Gibraltar. However, many of the children are now being discharged and sent home, according to an update from the hospital.
Engaged couple shot dead days before moving out of house near Hamilton
An engaged couple was shot dead while fleeing their landlord near Hamilton just days before they were scheduled to move out of their apartment.
Federal Court of Appeal: Canada not constitutionally obligated to bring home suspected ISIS fighters
The Government of Canada has won its appeal and will not be legally forced to repatriate four Canadian men from prisons in Northeast Syria.
Canadian consumer debt hits all-time high, reaching $2.32 trillion in Q1 2023: TransUnion
Amid interest rate hikes and high inflation, more Canadians are turning to credit for relief, with consumer debt hitting a new record in the first quarter of 2023.
Canada closing in on deal to get Stellantis battery plant back on track: Champagne
A deal to save a $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor is inching closer, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday.
House moving to midnight sittings as Liberals blame Conservatives for stalling agenda
It's that time of year again where MPs will be sitting until midnight until the House rises in late June, as the federal government pushes to pass as many bills as it can before the summer legislative hiatus. On Wednesday, Government House Leader Mark Holland announced that the Commons will be working late 'every single night … from here until the finish.'
Medication shortage in Canada led to increased dosing errors in children, new study shows
A new study has found that dosing errors in children increased during the Canada-wide shortage of paediatric fever and pain medication last year.
What you may not have known about bladder cancer
Although bladder cancer is the fifth most common cancer in Canada, experts say there’s a significant lack of awareness surrounding whom it affects the most — statistically, men — and that the most common risk factor is smoking.