Hearing in September on whether Quebec daycare crash accused is high-risk offender
LAVAL – A court hearing will take place in September into whether a man who killed two children by driving a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare should be declared a high-risk offender.
Superior Court Justice Éric Downs today set aside one week beginning Sept. 15 to hear arguments from prosecutors and the defence team for Pierre Ny St-Amand.
Last week, the 53-year-old former bus driver was found not criminally responsible after Downs agreed with a joint recommendation from the Crown and defence that the accused was likely in psychosis when he crashed the bus into the daycare on Feb. 8, 2023.
Prosecutors have said they will argue that Ny St-Amand should be declared a high-risk offender, a designation that would ensure he is held under strict conditions at a psychiatric facility.
The defence, meanwhile, has said it will challenge whether the high-risk offender status is constitutional, during a separate hearing that Downs said today will be heard over a week beginning Nov. 15.
Downs told defence lawyers he wanted a response from federal government's lawyers on the high-risk designation, which was included in the Criminal Code in 2014 for people found not criminally responsible for violent crimes.
Killed in the crash were Jacob Gauthier, 4, and a five-year-old girl named Maëva, whose family name is covered by a publication ban at the request of her parents. Six other children were injured.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
The case will return to court on May 27.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 9, 2025.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Government failed to follow procurement, security rules in GCStrategies
OTTAWA – Canada's auditor general says federal organizations failed to follow procurement and security rules when awarding contracts to the company behind the controversial ArriveCan app. The report on GCStrategies is one of several audits tabled in the House of Commons today. It says the company was awarded 106 contracts by 31 federal organizations between 2015 and 2024. The maximum value of those contracts was more than $90 million but only $65 million was paid out. Auditor general Karen Hogan looked at a sample set of contracts to see whether they fell in line with federal policy and whether the government got value for taxpayers' money. Her findings say many contracts did not follow procurement rules and organizations often provided little evidence to show the work had actually been done. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
Toronto Sun
4 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Murder trial starts for Ottawa sisters accused in mom's death
Chau Kanh Lam and Hue Ai Lam were charged with first-degree murder after police found their mother dead in bed in October 2022. Investigators at the scene of the death of Kieu Lam in October 2022. Photo by TONY CALDWELL / POSTMEDIA After a lengthy jury selection process, two Ottawa sisters accused of killing their elderly mother after years of abuse will stand trial for the next five weeks starting Tuesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Chau Kanh Lam and Hue Ai Lam, along with defence lawyers and the Crown attorney, appeared in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in downtown Ottawa on Monday morning for jury selection. Both sisters were charged with first-degree murder after police found their mother, Kieu Lam, dead in bed in October 2022 in the townhouse they shared. Chau and Hue both pleaded not guilty through a Vietnamese interpreter in court Monday. Dozens of people were called in for jury duty, but only 13 jurors were selected. One alternate juror was also selected in case someone isn't able to participate in future court proceedings related to the case. Defence lawyers Ewan Lyttle, who will be representing Chau, and Paolo Giancaterino, who will be representing Hue, as well as Crown attorney Julien Whitten said the trial will take about five weeks. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Ontario Superior Court Justice Narissa Somji will be presiding over the case. Court was recessed for the day shortly after the jurors were sworn in and confirmed in the afternoon. The matter is set to reconvene on Tuesday morning in the same courthouse, where the Crown will be giving its opening statement. The murder trial starts more than two years after the two sisters were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Ottawa police officers said they responded to a call at a townhouse on Bowmount Street in Cyrville at around 12:23 a.m. on Oct. 31, 2022. According to police, officers found Kieu Lam, 88, dead in bed and it looked like she had been beaten to death. Chau, who called police, and Hue were later arrested and charged with first-degree murder. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The two sisters were then interviewed by homicide detectives and gave incriminating statements, according to police. The Ottawa Police Service then accused the two sisters of plotting to kill their mother three days before the incident. Chau, then 56 years old, and Hue, then 59, were living with their mom at the time. The sisters allegedly told police that they were subjected to years of psychological and physical abuse, and decided to end it. They also allegedly told officers that they could no longer live a life anchored in abuse. The Ottawa Citizen previously reported that neighbours said the two sisters lived in a townhome for a decade with their mom, who could often be seen walking. Neighbours said they knew them only enough to say hello along Bowmount Street, north of Donald Street between St. Laurent Boulevard and Cummings Avenue. — With files from Gary Dimmock Our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark our homepage and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Read More Toronto Blue Jays Ontario Olympics Sunshine Girls Columnists
CTV News
5 hours ago
- CTV News
Gunshot fired in Montreal's Southwest borough
A badge of the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) is shown during a press conference in Montreal, Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press) Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating after a gunshot was reported in the Southwest borough on Monday night. According to the SPVM, multiple 911 calls were received around 9:15 p.m., reporting a gunshot near the intersection of Saint-Charles Street and D'Argenson Street. When police arrived on the scene, they did not locate any victims or suspects. Following multiple searches, officers found a bullet fragment on the ground. 'According to preliminary information, a suspect was seen firing a gunshot and then fleeing the scene before the police arrived,' said an SPVM spokesperson. A perimeter was set up to protect the scene. The canine unit also assisted in the search. Investigators interviewed several witnesses. No arrests have been made. The investigation is ongoing.
