AMQUI | Marked by the tragedy which left three dead and eight injured a little over nine months ago, the population of Amqui is “barely starting to get back on its feet”.
• Read also: Drama in Amqui: “We have no choice to live”, says a miracle
“When I think about all this, I still get chills,” says the mayor of the Lower Laurentian city, Sylvie Blanchette.
Met by The newspaper to take stock of the situation with a little more perspective, Mme Blanchette remembers being alerted to the situation by a friend who was passing by.
She immediately rushed to the scene to help and was able to see with her own eyes the horror of the scene. Crisis management followed which lasted several days.
Sylvie Blanchette, mayor of Amqui.
Photo Jeremy Bernier
“Was I ready to handle an event like this? I don’t know. But when it happens, we don’t have time to ask questions,” explains the mayor.
“No one could have predicted that it would happen in a quiet place like here. Often, we don’t even lock our doors!” she emphasizes.
Persistent fear
As soon as the security perimeter was lifted, Mme Blanchette wanted to walk on the scene of the tragedy, to invite citizens to take back possession of their city.
But despite the arrest of the driver responsible for the attack and the water that has flowed under the bridges in recent months, citizens remain fearful.
“There is a certain vigilance that has been established. Personally, I now walk on the side facing the traffic,” says Louise André, owner of a store recently installed on Boulevard Saint-Benoît Ouest.
The ram truck attack occurred on Saint-Benoît Boulevard West, in Amqui, on March 13, 2023.
Photo Jeremy Bernier
And she’s not the only one. Several people met by The newspaper completely avoid going for a walk on the artery, the memory of the attack being still too fresh.
“We’re just starting to get back on our feet. We still think about it regularly,” says Rémi Vallée, whose cousin is one of the victims.
Isolated event
Sylvie Blanchette, however, would like to point out that the city remains safe and that this event does not represent what the municipality really is.
“Amqui, it’s not just this tragedy. It’s much more than that. And it was seen in the solidarity that followed the tragedy,” said the mayor.
One of the victims of the tragedy and wife of Jean Lafrenière, Pauline Desmarais, surrounded by her friend (right) Daniel Thériault and the Amqui priest (left) Kindé Arouko.
Photo Jeremy Bernier
“We thrived on the love and support that was sent to us. I think it made the difference in getting through,” she adds.
The latter also indicates that the City is planning a commemoration to mark the year since the tragedy, on March 13.
A tight-knit community
The intense pain shared by the citizens of Amqui last March brought to light the unique bond that unites the people of the municipality.
“We don’t wait for drama to do well, but this event brought people together. Everyone was behind the 11 victims and felt their pain,” said Kindé Arouko, priest of the community for 5 years.
The priest of Amqui, Kindé Arouko.
Photo Jeremy Bernier
The Saint-Benoît-Joseph-Labre church in Amqui was also an important gathering place in the days following the attack, whether people were believers or not.
“Everyone knows each other here, it’s like we’re all part of the same family. When [l’accusé] attacked the victims, it’s as if he attacked us directly,” breathes with emotion Daniel Thériault, a friend of two of the victims.
What they said
“At first, I was angry. But life must go on, we must not let this guy win.”
- Daniel Thériault, friend of victims
“I realize today that I had a difficult time, but all of Quebec supported us in our pain.”
- Pauline Desmarais, victim and wife of Jean Lafrenière
“I still have a blockage, I am unable to walk near the accident site.”
- Sylvie Ross, wife of Gérald Charest
“There are no instructions on how to react in these cases. Everything I did, I did with my heart.”
- Sylvie Blanchette, mayor of Amqui
“It’s not something you can forget overnight, it’s going to take years to fully recover from it.”
“We console ourselves by saying that there was an educational day that day because [l’accusé] could have caused many more victims.”
“You always think that it happens elsewhere… We feel that there has been a change in the region since the tragedy.”
- Annie Gobeil, member of the board of directors of Fabrique d’Amqui
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