AMQUI | Marked by the tragedy that left three dead and eight injured just over nine months ago, the people of Amqui are “just getting back on their feet”.
• Also read: Drama in Amqui: “We have no choice to live,” says a miracle
“When I think about all of this, I still get goosebumps,” said Lower Laurentian Mayor Sylvie Blanchette.
Ms. Blanchette was welcomed by Le Journal to look at the situation from a slightly broader perspective. She 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 the horror of the scene with her own eyes. This was followed by several days of crisis management.
Sylvie Blanchette, mayor of Amqui. Photo Jeremy Bernier
“Was I prepared to deal with such an event? 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 this. “We often don’t even lock our doors!” she emphasizes.
Persistent fear
As soon as the security perimeter was lifted, Ms. Blanchette specifically went to the scene of the tragedy to call on citizens to take back 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 level of vigilance. Personally, I now walk on the side facing traffic,” says Louise André, owner of a recently opened shop on Boulevard Saint-Benoît Ouest.
The ram truck attack occurred on March 13, 2023 on Saint-Benoît Boulevard West in Amqui. Photo Jeremy Bernier
And she's not the only one. Several people hit by Le Journal avoid walking on the artery entirely because the memory of the attack is still too fresh.
“We are 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
However, Sylvie Blanchette would like to point out that the city remains safe and that this event does not reflect what the community really is.
“Amqui, it's not just this tragedy. It is much more than that. And that was shown 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 boyfriend (right) Daniel Thériault and the Amqui priest (left) Kindé Arouko. Photo Jeremy Bernier
“We thrived on the love and support shown to us. I think it made the difference in us moving forward,” she adds.
The latter also indicates that the city is planning a commemoration of the anniversary of the tragedy on March 13.
A close-knit community
The great pain shared by the citizens of Amqui last March brought to light the unique bond that binds the people of the community.
“We are not waiting for the drama to do well, but this event has brought people together. Everyone stood behind the eleven victims and felt their pain,” said Kindé Arouko, priest of the community for five years.
The priest of Amqui, Kindé Arouko. Photo Jeremy Bernier
The Saint-Benoît-Joseph-Labre church in Amqui was also an important meeting place in the days after the attack, regardless of whether people were believers or not.
“Everyone here knows each other, it’s like we’re all part of the same family. When [l’accusé] “When he attacked the victims, it was as if he had attacked us directly,” breathes Daniel Thériault, a friend of two of the victims, with emotion.
What they said
“At first I was angry. But life must go on, we can’t let this guy win.”
- Daniel Thériault, friend of the victims
“Today I realize 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 can’t go near the scene of the accident.”
- Sylvie Ross, wife of Gérald Charest
“There are no instructions on how to respond in these cases. Everything I did, I did with my heart.”
- Sylvie Blanchette, mayor of Amqui
“You can’t forget about it overnight, it will take years to fully recover from it.”
“We console ourselves with the fact that there was an education day that day because [l’accusé] could have caused many more casualties.”
“You always think it's happening somewhere else… We feel like there's been a change in the area since the tragedy.”
- Annie Gobeil, member of the board of Fabrique d'Amqui