Woman's death in collision on Que.'s Highway 50 raising questions about road's safety
A woman died in a car crash on April 27 on Highway 50, a stretch of road considered deadly by many locals.
Sophie Chenier's family is the latest to plead for the government to take action and improve safety on the road between Gatineau and Mirabel.
"It's called the Highway of Death," said her brother Martin Chenier, from the nearby town of Lachute.
He said his sister was a cheerful person who always brought happiness to the family.
"She loved bringing joy to the family," he said.
About 60 per cent of the highway only has one lane in each direction and after years of local residents and politicians calling for the highway to be widened, the province launched a multi-million dollar project to add two more lanes along 96 of the 158-kilometre road.
That, however, won't be completed until 2032.
What's most painful about the loss, said Martin, was that he feels it was preventable.
The other driver, a 35-year-old man, was arrested for impaired driving and Martin said he's in disbelief that this is still happening in 2024.
"There's so many alternatives today, from taxis to Ubers," he said.
Although he deplores the role the driver played in his sister's death, Martin said it's the lack of action on the part of the Quebec Transport Ministry that he is most frustrated with.
"There's nothing in place to prevent collisions," he said. "No concrete blocks, no cables to prevent vehicles crosssing the centre line."
Since December alone, four other people have lost their lives on the same stretch of highway.
Between 2020 and 2022, the Transport Ministry has recorded 14 deaths.
Martin Chernier and his family have one clear message for the province: "Act before someone else dies."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
How to keep insects out of your house, according to an entomologist and other experts
Now that temperatures have warmed up even more this spring, you may be anxious at the thought of bugs invading your home or you may already be battling the pests. Here are expert tips on how to keep them away.
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
Group tied to Islamic State plotted fatal Ontario restaurant shooting: Crown
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
Leaving time on the table: Surveys show unused paid vacation, 'quiet vacationing'
'Quiet vacationing' is the latest new term to describe the rough edges of office culture, and survey data shows it's widespread among North American workers.
Avian flu: Catch up on spread, risks, and guidance from health experts
After another case of H5N1 avian flu linked to dairy cows was confirmed in a second dairy farmer in the United States, some Canadian experts say the federal government needs to expand surveillance of the virus north of the border.
This type of screen time has the worst effect on kids: experts
According to some experts, there is one type of screen time that is continuously excessive, and it's having a severe effect on our children.
UN court order demanding Israel to halt Gaza offensive further isolates U.S. position
A ruling by the top United Nations court ordering Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah has deepened its disconnect with the United States over an operation that faces mounting international condemnation but that American officials describe, at least for now, as limited and targeted.