One of the few mental health resources in the Far North of Quebec suffered an arson attack on Tuesday, killing one person and forcing the reorganization of an already fragile network. “A tragedy”, according to the local health center.
Posted at 9:16 p.m.
Updated at 9:39 p.m.
Until the fire, the Aaniavituqarq crisis centre, located in Puvirnituq, was “a highly structured closed unit designed to provide rehabilitation services to individuals in crisis or those difficult to manage in an open unit”.
“Our hearts go out to the family, loved ones and extended community of the victim who did not survive the fire,” the statement issued in the evening said. “The bravery of the responder on site, as well as the responsiveness of the police, firefighters and first responders on the scene made it possible to quickly evacuate the users. »
The Sûreté du Québec indicated late Tuesday evening that it had opened an investigation into this “arson” which occurred in the morning.
“At this point, a 20-year-old woman has been arrested. She appeared today by telephone to face arson charges. This is M.me Lydia Shipaluk,” said police spokesperson Hélène St-Pierre. “Investigators and a fire scene technician will go to the scene in the next few hours to determine the causes and circumstances of the event. »
The deceased victim is a man in his late 40s, Ms.me St Pierre. Another person – a woman – was injured in the fire, but there are no fears for her life.
The statement from the Aaniavituqarq center says the patients have been transferred to the local hospital and will then be accommodated in a residential building. The relocation of these individuals poses specific challenges: the center could in particular accommodate individuals who represent a danger to themselves or to others, as well as individuals held against their will at the request of doctors.
The health network in Quebec’s Far North is particularly fragile. Local health authorities have even requested the intervention of the Canadian Forces in recent months, a request rejected by Quebec. Instead, the government chose to send more personnel there, as well as Red Cross teams.
Corrigendum
A previous version of this text reported information from the SQ to the effect that the deceased victim was a woman. The police force indicated in the evening that it was rather a man.