Latest news with #Hemmingford
CTV News
14-07-2025
- CTV News
Migrants still missing after crash near Canada-U.S. border: RCMP
An crash involving two vehicles is seen in Hemmingford, Que., on Sunday, July 13, 2025. Police say they are looking for a group of migrants who were inside a vehicle that rolled over near the Canada-U.S. border in southern Quebec. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) The RCMP continues to search for a group of undocumented migrants who were involved in a collision near the Canada-U.S. border on Sunday. According to Quebec provincial police (SQ), about 10 to 12 migrants were inside a seven-passenger SUV when it flipped after colliding with another SUV near Hemmingford, Que., just a few kilometres north of the New York state border. Four migrants were found at the scene and taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The rest fled on foot before authorities arrived. The driver of the second SUV, a 48-year-old American man, was arrested for impaired driving. Police said there was at least one passenger in his vehicle at the time of the crash. Frantz André, a spokesperson and coordinator for the Comité d'action des personnes sans statut, a Montreal organization that advocates for people without legal status in Canada, said incidents like this are likely to become more common as anti-immigration rhetoric ramps up in the U.S. 'People are fleeing the United States because they are threatened to be deported, because if they were on the TPS [Temporary Protected Status] program, or the humanitarian parole program, which has been canceled. People are running away from the States, and they are using smugglers,' explained André. Smuggling migrants is a lucrative business — but one that carries steep risks, advocates say. 'They will have to go and hide for 14 days before they claim asylum. And that is also a concern, they can be abused while being hidden somewhere. So, I'm worried about this.' Under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA), migrants who cross into Canada from the U.S. are generally ineligible to make a refugee claim unless they've been in the country for at least 14 days. Those who apply earlier can be returned. Last week, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said it had recorded an increase in migrants at the Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle border crossing since the beginning of the year. From Jan. 1 to July 6, 8,396 asylum applications were processed at the Lacolle port of entry — up from 4,613 during the same period last year. Additionally, the agency recorded 761 claims at Lacolle in the first six days of July, compared to 149 over the same stretch in 2024. 'It's definitely more, because the ones that enter illegally are not [being counted]. So definitely there's going to be more coming. It is July 14th, so if we extrapolate, we're talking maybe 2,000 people and more, because the 14 days are not known,' André said. André noted that changes made to the STCA in 2023 have made it more difficult for migrants to seek asylum in Canada, pushing them to take risks that could endanger their lives. 'Canada is no longer the country that we used to be. We used to be so much more welcoming. By closing Roxham Road, they created what is happening right now, and this is people going and dying at the border,' he said. In a statement, the RCMP said it had not yet apprehended the migrants, adding that the investigation was ongoing with the help of the SQ and CBSA. With files from Swidda Rassy and Joe Lofaro.
National Post
14-07-2025
- National Post
Police search for group of migrants after vehicle collision near Canada-U.S. border
Police say they are looking for a group of migrants who were inside a vehicle that collided near the Canada-U.S. border in southern Quebec. Article content Authorities were called early Sunday to the scene in Hemmingford, Que., north of the New York border, where an SUV with two people collided with a vehicle carrying at least 10. Article content Article content The 48-year-old driver of the SUV was arrested for impaired driving. Article content Article content Provincial police spokesperson Sgt. Stephane Tremblay alleges the people in the second vehicle are believed to be migrants who illegally crossed the border from the United States. Article content He says four people from the migrants' vehicle were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while between six and eight fled the scene on foot.
CBC
13-07-2025
- CBC
Alleged impaired driver crashes with SUV carrying migrants in Quebec, say police
A joint investigation is underway in Hemmingford, Que., near the U.S. border, after a collision involving a driver who was arrested for impaired driving, and a second vehicle that police said was carrying "illegal immigrants," some of whom fled the scene on foot. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said emergency responders were called at around 4:15 a.m., for a collision on Route 202, near the intersection of Jackson Road, in Hemmingford, roughly 65 kilometres south of Montreal. SQ spokesperson Stéphane Tremblay said following impact, the vehicle carrying the migrants rolled over, injuring four people. They were taken to hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries, while the remaining passengers fled the scene. There have been conflicting reports as to the number of people in the SUV, with the SQ initially saying there were 10 migrants and later updating that number to 12. As of 10:30 a.m., police were still searching for eight people thought to have been travelling in the SUV. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) told Radio-Canada that the migrants entered Canada from the United States, but didn't say when. The SQ said the RCMP was called in to assist in the search using drones and a canine unit. Tremblay later clarified it was a joint investigation, with the SQ responsible for looking into the circumstances surrounding the crash, while the RCMP are handling aspects pertaining to the migrants. According to the SQ, the driver of the second vehicle, a 48-year-old American, was arrested for impaired driving. A passenger travelling in that vehicle was not injured.
CTV News
13-07-2025
- CTV News
Police searching for group of undocumented migrants after 2-vehicle crash near Quebec-New York border
Quebec provincial police say they are searching for a group of undocumented migrants after the vehicle they were travelling in crashed with another vehicle and then rolled over near the Canada-U.S. border. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) said they received a 911 call at about 4:15 a.m. about the crash that happened near the intersection of Route 202 and Montée Jackson near Hemmingford, Que., just a few kilometres north of the New York state border. There were 10 undocumented migrants inside a seven-passenger SUV when it flipped after colliding with another SUV, SQ spokesperson Stéphane Tremblay told CTV News. Six of them fled on foot and are being sought by the SQ, with help from RCMP officers and a dog handler. The driver of the second SUV, a 48-year-old American male citizen, was arrested for impaired driving and will be questioned. There was at least one passenger in his vehicle at the time of the crash. Four people were sent to hospital for injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Route 202 in this area of Hemmingford was completely closed to traffic to facilitate the work of the police, and was not expected to reopen until later in the afternoon. With files from CTV News' Olivia O'Malley and The Canadian Press - More to come.
CTV News
28-06-2025
- CTV News
Family of woman allegedly murdered by her partner raising funds for domestic violence victims
Devon Watt is honouring their sister Kelsey by creating hockey helmet stickers featuring 'K29' and a white ribbon, commemorating the age she was when she died, and raising funds for domestic violence victims. (Kelly Greig/CTV) Devon Watt says the reminders of their sister Kelsey are everywhere. 'We grew up in this community (Hemmingford, Que.) so it's inescapable. It's the constant thought that I don't have her anymore,' they told CTV. Kelsey Watt, 29, went missing in September 2024. After a days-long search her body was found in a wooded area near her home. 'During the search I think I slept maybe 10 hours at most,' recalls Watt. 'I trekked through ditches and waterways to walk the whole property to try to find her.' Kelsey's fiancée, Nicolas Gravel, was charged with murder and is currently awaiting trial. Now, Watt is honouring their sister by creating hockey helmet stickers featuring 'K29' and a white ribbon. The number commemorates the age Kelsey was when she died. Funds from the sales will go towards SOS Violence Conjugale, a non-profit that helps victims of domestic abuse. 'Anything that we can do to speak up and speak out is a good thing,' says Watt's mother Debbie Beattie. 'We can't live behind closed doors anymore.' Kelsey Watt Kelsey Watt's body was found in a wooded area near her home in September 2024. Watt got the idea from similar commemorative stickers used in professional hockey leagues. They have been playing since they were young and Kelsey was usually cheering them on in the stands, 'defending me even if I was wrong.' In just the first 24 hours, $2,500 came in. Watt felt the stickers was an appropriate way to combat a feeling of helplessness after Kelsey's death. 'I felt incredibly powerless through all of it,' they told CTV. 'So doing something like this is a way to bring my power back a little bit.' Hemmingford's ball hockey tournament will be renamed the Kelsey Cup in her honour and her family says they are trying to keep Kelsey's spirit of trying to help others alive. Beattie recalled, 'after all this happened Chris (Beattie's husband) and I said to ourselves, 'we're going to tear down Kelsey's house' because we couldn't stand to look at it, but we were contacted by two people that needed help and a place to stay. I said 'this is the right thing to do. This is what Kelsey would want us to do to help these people.'' Watt says in addition to raising funds, they want spread awareness of signs of domestic violence. They could include a person withdrawing from friends and family, refusing to speak about their relationship or feeling the need to constantly seek permission from a partner. More information can be found here: Intimate partner violence, conjugal violence, domestic violence... what are we talking about ? — SOS violence conjugale 'I didn't know how to recognize the specific signs,' said Watt, 'educating myself after all this happened and looking back now they're so obvious. I hate that I didn't notice more and I don't want anybody else to suffer. I don't want family members to feel like I do now, that I should have seen more things or recognized more.' 'Don't live in fear,' added Beattie, 'there are places to go and there are frontline workers that want to help you.' SUPPORT NETWORK Victims of domestic violence can contact SOS violence conjugale at 1-800-363-9010. Other resources:
