Comedian Philippe Laprise, who is passing through Sept-Îles, testifies to the unrest that reigns in the city where forest fires force the evacuation of a large part of the population.
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The artist will long remember his tour on the North Shore.
After taking a boat to give his show in Havre-Saint-Pierre on Thursday evening due to the closure of the Touzel bridge in Rivière-au-Tonnerre, he had to postpone the performance scheduled for Friday evening in Sept-Îles, where evacuations are underway.
PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIPPE LAPRISE
The decision to postpone the show was made late Friday afternoon, when he was there.
“We realized that the air quality was not ideal for putting on a show in the hall. It’s better for everyone to postpone it. I’m going to tell you that Côte-Nord, I’m going to remember you for a long time. Listen, Sept-Îles, I can’t wait to present my show to you. It will happen in the next few months. Thank you very much for your patience. Good luck. Above all, don’t let go,” he announced in a video on his Facebook page.
Worry
Earlier in the afternoon, The newspaper spoke to the comedian to take the pulse of the population who are experiencing an unprecedented situation.
“There are two fires burning and the concerns here are that they will merge in the next few hours,” he shared.
“When there are evacuation announcements like that, people rush to buy gas. I see people filling gas cans. We feel some concern. It smells a bit like smoke, even in the theater,” he added.
“We see people picking up their trailers at campgrounds. They go back and forth everywhere. There are a lot of people leaving for Port-Cartier.”
Philippe Laprise was preparing for all eventualities, a few hours before his show, but he will finally hit the road again, because he must be in Baie-Comeau on Saturday evening.
“It spices up my tour. My job is to adapt to each environment I go to. The Côte-Nord is going through difficult times and I will support people as best I can in this,” he said.