Ullivik Center | Two mothers caught up, one after the other

Two young Inuit mothers were fatally struck on a highway in Dorval, near a residence for patients in the Far North where they were staying.

Suzanne Colpron
The Press

Mary-Jane Tulugak was 22 years old and had three young children. Nellie Niviaxie, 26, was a mother of two children.

Faced with this tragedy, the D^r Stanley Vollant, Innu surgeon, “does not accept that we do nothing”.

“Me, personally, it appeals to me,” he says. As a Quebec, Canadian society, we cannot accept seeing people die in these conditions when we know that we could have prevented it. These are deaths that could have been avoided. If it had been non-Aboriginal people, there would already be people at the barricades. One less aboriginal is one less problem. Life does not have the same value. »

This reaction contrasts with that of several residents of the residence, the Ullivik centre, who welcomed this terrible news with resignation and fatalism. Ullivik accommodates Inuit passing through the city to receive care or accompany a loved one requiring medical services. Some stay a single day; others, several weeks.

“It’s really sad,” reacted Martha, sitting on a bench in front of the main entrance to the establishment, in Dorval, where she has been staying for a few days to treat a hand injury.

“Nellie was in my family,” she added, in a soft voice. “His grandfather was my mother’s brother. He was a good person. She told me she was here as an accompanist. »

These two accidents are much more than news items. These are manifestations of much deeper ills that undermine Inuit communities: alienation, exclusion and its consequences such as alcoholism and drug addiction, believes Dr.^r Flying. These scourges are amplified when these people find it difficult to come to terms with an urban world that is foreign to them.

“The Inuit who come here, in the South, often arrive via health services. They gather here because they are trying to escape from a deeper evil in the North, he explains. They stay here and think life is easier, sweeter. But, ultimately, it’s often tougher. They are in the same conditions of abuse, harassment and dependency. »

“There may be less risk of getting hit on the main Kuujjuaq road than on the 20.”

24 hours

The first accident occurred Friday morning at around 4:15 a.m. Mary-Jane Tulugak, of Puvirnituq, a village in Hudson’s Bay, was in a wheelchair on the west section of Highway 520 near Marshall Avenue , in Dorval, when she was hit by a car.

An investigator from the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) went to the scene to determine the causes and circumstances of the accident. She was pronounced dead the following day, at 1 p.m., at the hospital where she had been transported.

Less than 24 hours later, Nellie Niviaxie, originally from Umiujaq, another village in Nunavik, was killed in similar circumstances.

“It happened around 1:15 a.m. on Saturday. Police officers from the Sûreté du Québec moved to kilometer 57, on Highway 20, eastbound, following a series of collisions involving a pedestrian,” according to SQ spokesperson Nicolas Scholtus. . “The victim, a 26-year-old female, died following multiple vehicle impacts. His death was pronounced at the scene. »

Mr. Scholtus adds that the circumstances “concerning his presence on the highway” remain unclear. A reconstructionist from the SQ went to the scene to analyze the scene.

We therefore do not know the precise circumstances that led to the death of these two women. Did they get lost in the neighborhood of the accommodation center where there are no obstructions to prevent pedestrians from accessing the highway? Did they have trouble finding their way after a visit to a nearby bar, the Jockey Club, frequented by residents of Ullivik? “These young women had, unfortunately, to pass on the highway in a state of intoxication because there were roadworks”, explains the D^r Flying.

The Sûreté du Québec, which has jurisdiction in this case, is continuing its investigations.

No charges have been filed against either of the drivers involved.

Alcohol and drugs

Open since December 2016, Ullivik is located in a semi-industrial sector, along the service road of Highway 520, near the Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau airport. Its name means “a place to stay or wait”. The center has 143 beds, 91 rooms, transportation, interpretation and social services.

The residents who stay there often have problems with alcohol and drug consumption. These substances are more accessible in the metropolitan area than in their Nunavik communities and at much lower prices, which can encourage abuse. “The bottle of vodka that costs $14 at the SAQ in Dorval is sold for over $140 in the North,” points out the D^r Flying.

Alcohol and drugs are prohibited in the residence. Guards check the bags at the entrance. Residents do not have access to their bed if they are drunk. Two small rooms with a single bed are provided for those who return intoxicated.

But nothing prevents residents from going out. And the mechanisms to ensure that the instructions are followed are limited. “We are made to sign a paper to say that we agree to respect the rules, but people do not respect the rules”, testifies Martha.

A first tragedy occurred in this establishment in 2017 when a 36-year-old woman died crushed by the truck under which she had slept, in the parking lot of a business in Dorval, after having refused the two options offered. to her: sober up in one of the two rooms provided for this purpose or spend the night in the waiting room of the residence.

Road safety

“Ullivik management is concerned that these two events have occurred, and will be looking at ways to increase road safety awareness for its customers,” the Regional Health Authority said in an August 22 email. and Nunavik social services, to which this establishment reports. “Ullivik is strategically located near the airport. This is an area where there are busy highways. There are also sidewalks in the surrounding streets of this rather quiet industrial district. »

For its part, the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS) did not want to comment.

“Our thoughts go first to the families and loved ones of these two women,” said MSSS spokesperson Marie-Hélène Émond by email. These are two tragic and sad events whose circumstances are curious and unusual to say the least. However, these are in no way related to the health care and services offered in the health and social services network. »

With the collaboration of Ariane Lacoursière, The Press