“I feared it would happen and I think it will happen again. That’s the unfortunate thing. »
Posted at 5:00 am
Suzanne Colpron The Press
These remarks by the mayor of Dorval, Marc Doret, show how all the elements were united for a tragedy to happen in Ullivik. In less than 24 hours, two young Inuit mothers lost their lives in the middle of the highway at night, one in a wheelchair, the other on foot.
Mary-Jane Tulugak, 22, of Nunavik, died in hospital on Aug. 20 after being hit in a wheelchair by a car on Highway 520 around 4:15 a.m. the previous day.
Nellie Niviaxie, also of Nunavik, was struck while crossing Highway 20 on foot at around 1:15 a.m. Saturday morning. His death was announced at the scene.
Both lived in Ullivik, a facility that opened in 2016 and was intended for patients from the far north and their companions.
According to Mayor Doret, these two fatal accidents were not the first.
“Are there any accidents in the area? Yes,” he says.
Proximity to highways
A few weeks ago, the city of Dorval even took the initiative to erect a fence in front of the center, on the outskirts of Ullivik, on the site of the Ministry of Transport du Québec (MTQ) at its own expense, on the back road of Highway 520 to prevent accidents.
The mayor acknowledges that the location poses safety issues due to its proximity to freeways.
It is not an easy area to walk or drive if you are unfamiliar with the area. It’s not well lit and it’s not a residential area.
Marc Doret, Mayor of Dorval
Another problem is the use of drugs and alcohol by some residents of the center.
The Inuit housed in Ullivik have to abide by rules. “They are searched by security personnel upon arrival to find out if they have drugs or alcohol,” explains Sonia Mancier, president of the Fédération interprofessionnelle de la santé du Québec, private sector, who knows the facility.
If some of them come to the apartment in a drunken state, a procedure is in place. “They come to the sobering-up room or the waiting room until things get a little better. Those who flatly refuse to submit to controls and give what they have with them may end up staying out. »
However, Mayor Doret wonders about the facility’s security measures to ensure residents are monitored during their stay.
“There needs to be a discussion with our prime minister and our health minister to try and understand the situation,” he says. There have been problems with this facility for several years. Resident safety is our priority. But it’s difficult, it’s on the edge of a highway. The MTQ must secure the premises and the SPVM [Service de police de la Ville de Montréal] must follow up. »
Check security
“What I find abhorrent is that we keep waiting for situations to change,” adds Ms. Mancier. We wait for people to die to respond. Securing around this facility is a necessity. When we take on a project near highways, I think we make sure the building is safe and we have the resources for that clientele. We have to manage all of this as best we can. We need to check security when these people arrive and ask if there is enough security. »
For its part, the SPVM announced by email that it had “not identified any particular situations in the central sector of Ullivik in recent months”.
Her spokeswoman, Caroline Labelle, added that an Aboriginal patrol had been present on Dorval Police Station territory since May.
The Coroner’s Office also confirmed Tuesday that an inquest had been ordered into the deaths of Mary-Jane Tulugak and Nellie Niviaxie, “as is the case with any death in violent circumstances.” The investigations were entrusted to Me Éric Lépine, co-chair of the Aboriginal Mortality Committee set up by the Coroner’s Office.
La Presse also sought to understand how the governance and management structures of Ullivik, which is on the island of Montreal but reports to the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services, are set up. However, the latter did not respond to our questions and interview requests.