Latest news with #MarcTessier
CTV News
02-07-2025
- CTV News
Pedestrian dead after being struck by vehicle in Lanaudière
The Surete du Quebec, or Quebec Provincial Police patch at a news conference, in Quebec City on Feb. 29, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot A pedestrian died Tuesday evening after being struck by a car in Saint-Esprit, in the Lanaudière region. Sûreté du Québec (SQ) police officers were called to Route 125 near Rang des Continuations at 10 p.m. regarding a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle. 'According to initial information, the driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was travelling south on Route 125 before the collision,' said SQ spokesperson Marc Tessier. The pedestrian, a man in his 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. There appears to be no criminal element to the case, Tessier added, pointing out that there are no lights at the site of the collision. Additionally, it is a 90 km/h zone, and there is a shoulder for people to walk. Investigators are on site, and the investigation is ongoing. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 2, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
16-06-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Two Mountains Police chase car into Kanesatake
The Two Mountains Police veered far from their jurisdiction onto Kanesatake territory on Tuesday in a high-speed chase that ended with a crash on Ahsennénhson. While the Surete du Quebec (SQ) provided assistance to the Two Mountains Police, a spokesperson for the SQ, Marc Tessier, directed all questions to the Two Mountains service, which did not respond to repeated requests for comment. There is no SQ investigation, Tessier said, declining to provide further information. 'They gave chase, and the guy ended up crashing the car and took off on foot,' said Kane Montour, coordinator of Kanesatake Perimeter Security (KPS), which was first alerted to the situation by police sirens rather than notification from either police service. According to Montour, the chase began near the Highway 640 roundabout when Two Mountains police cruisers attempted a traffic stop, and the car, a black Hyundai Elantra, peeled off. The chase reached dangerous speeds as police pursued. 'From our knowledge, we were always told when they start to pull somebody over and they start reaching excess speeds of 100 KM/H, they call it off because it's too dangerous. Anything can happen,' said Montour. Montour said KPS has received a number of reports that the driver who sped away from police was a local man. According to Montour, one SQ officer was seen with a high-powered rifle at the scene. While the barrel was pointed down, Montour said, many community members were upset, especially after feeling that the high-speed chase put Kanehsata'kehró:non in danger. 'Especially in that area where he crashed, you're surrounded by elders in the community. In that area, there's at least 10-12 elders that live in that immediate area,' Montour said. As for KPS, Montour emphasized that Perimeter Security has a limited role in situations like this, and can serve the community by helping guide people away from where chases are happening. 'People have got to remember we're not police officers, and it's been told to us in the past in those situations, don't put the team in harm's way,' he said. 'We're not trained in high-speed chases. We're not trained in defensive driving, things like that. The last thing I want to see as a coordinator is any of my team members getting hurt as a result of a police chase for something as little as a traffic infraction.' A video shows two Two Mountains police cruisers following the vehicle into the parking lot of a local business at one point as the driver lets out a passenger, with the police pursuing without stopping and coming very close to the car as it began driving away, all in proximity to the passenger and an above-ground gas tank. marcus@ Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
07-06-2025
- CTV News
Motorcyclist dead after Highway 15 crash
This image of part of an SQ police officer's uniform was taken in Montreal on Sept. 10, 2024. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) A motorcyclist is dead after a serious crash on Highway 15 South Friday night. Emergency services were called to the highway near La Verendrye Boulevard around 10 p.m. Provincial police (SQ) spokesperson Marc Tessier said the man in his 20s died in hospital. The investigation is ongoing.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Pandemic investigation wraps up in Kanesatake
Following the conclusion of a years-long police investigation into allegations of financial misconduct against the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), which led Kanesatake's COVID-19 response, authorities are now deciding whether criminal charges will be filed. The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) is the office tasked with making these determinations in Quebec. 'They will review the file and see if there is any basis for prosecution,' said Marc Tessier, spokesperson for the SQ. It could take several weeks before this process is completed, he added. There is no further information that can be publicly disclosed at this time, according to DPCP spokesperson Lucas Bastien. 'We now have all the information required to identify a potential criminal case,' he said, inviting The Eastern Door to follow up in the coming months. The politically charged investigation, conducted by the SQ financial crimes division, is being handed to the DPCP as the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake (MCK) prepares to hold elections on August 2, nearly four years after the file was first opened on August 23, 2021. The inquiry has hung over this Council term, with Victor Bonspille, who continues to claim the title of grand chief following his recent ouster by the MCK Ethics Commission, has often invoked the investigation at public meetings. 'Individuals in certain positions took advantage of our community at a crucial time and they took advantage of the situation with millions of dollars being handed to our community for the pandemic, to take care of us, and they pocket a large percentage of that. I think they undermined the community,' Bonspille told The Eastern Door following a forensic audit of the ERU in 2022, the contents of which incensed community members. That summary revealed compensation that many found lavish, with members that were paid an ERU base rate plus top-offs simultaneously with MCK or Kanesatake Health Center (KHC) wages. It also highlighted accounting pecularities in the 16-month span it covered, during which the ERU was responsible for managing $3.9 million. One member, incident commander and former vice-chief Patricia Meilleur, was paid nearly $600,000 in total over that time period. Former MCK grand chief Serge Otsi Simon, who was leading Council at the time of the ERU's work and is now a Council chief, has consistently defended the ERU, even signing his name to an open letter from members of the ad hoc body responding to the allegations outlined in the audit summary shortly after its release. 'After working with these guys throughout COVID and watching what they were going through, what they were working, how hard they worked, it's hard for me to believe anyone in there would have had criminal intent,' said Simon. He argued the ERU was effective in keeping COVID-19 rates low during the peak of the pandemic and that this is too often overlooked. 'People won't remember that. They won't remember the good that was done, and this is what disheartens me a lot,' he said. 'It's one thing to condemn somebody for ethical behaviour but to say it was criminal when the federal government knew about the funding, they approved the proposals, and yet there was something criminal of some sort? I really doubt it.' Bonspille alerted the community last Friday that he had been informed by the unit tasked with the investigation that a report had been handed to the DPCP. Simon confirmed that the Council was also given a heads up. Despite police revealing little about the progress of the investigation over the years since it was launched, it has occasionally made headlines, such as in May 2023 when police raided the band office and the KHC in search of records. While police would not confirm details of the investigation, KHC executive director Teiawenhniseráhte Tomlinson said at the time that the search warrant presented to the health centre specified that the SQ was investigating the possibility of fraud and breach of trust under the Criminal Code. Marie-Claude Bernard, the former finance head of the ERU, was recently reinstated as an employee of the MCK finance department after a labour tribunal ruling in her favour following a wrongful dismissal complaint. marcus@ Marcus Bankuti, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
