Latest news with #ChaudiereAppalaches
CTV News
7 hours ago
- General
- CTV News
Pride festivals: breaking the isolation of LGBTQ+ people in rural areas
Pascal Lessard and his partner bought their farm in 2019. They live in the Chaudière-Appalaches region of Quebec. It's a rural area south of Quebec City. Although they were concerned about how the local population might react after learning they are a same sex couple, Lessard said he is happy they bought the farm and joined a new community. 'We never had any problems when we arrived here. We didn't hide, we didn't try to hide who we were or that we lived together. We haven't encountered any difficulties or people who reacted negatively,' said Lessard, co-owner of Les Vergers du Cap farm in Chaudière-Appalaches. 'We were very well received here in the village. We thought there might be some people who would react negatively, but that never happened.' The warm reaction may reflect a trend as new pride festivities spring up across Quebec. Flying in the face of the notion that rural areas are hostile to people of diverse sexual and gender identities, many of these festivals seek to improve the image of life for LGBTQ+ people living outside major urban centres. Like more than 300 people from LGBTQ+ communities living in rural areas or working in the agricultural sector, Lessard and his partner are members of the organization Fierté agricole. Since 2012, this non-profit organization has been helping people from LGBTQ+ communities living in rural areas meet and participate in various activities. 'In the farming community, there aren't many of us, and being so few in such a large area means that we end up pretty isolated in our homes, far from large centres and services,' explains Joé Desjardins, president of Fierté agricole. Desjardins, who co-owns the JardinsRochers farm with his partner, said the community is generally doing well and that homophobic or transphobic incidents are rare. 'People are afraid to come out or move to rural areas. We feel that sentiment a lot, but it's not true that things are worse than in the city,' Desjardins said. Desjardins adds that allies are more important in rural areas, where it is more difficult to mask one's identity. 'A village that supports a member of the queer community is a village that will support all those people,' explains Mr. Desjardins. 'Unlike in big cities, there is less anonymity because, when you live in the country, everyone knows you, but at the same time, that can be scary for some people, so allies are important.' His organization works regularly to educate people in rural areas about the realities of LGBTQ+ people. Fierté agricole regularly sets up booths at agricultural events and visits agricultural schools to raise awareness among students. 'We raise awareness so that there are fewer tragedies,' Desjardins said. 'We can't control the market price of wheat or the harvests with the rain. The only thing we can do is make sure that people in the community don't feel alone, and if we have to drive four hours, we'll be there.' Camille Paradis, co-chair of Fierté Val-d'Or, shares this sentiment about the importance of allies. Since 2019, Fierté Val-d'Or has organized its own Pride festival in the western Quebec region of Abitibi-Témiscamingue. In six years, the number of people participating in the four days of festivities has grown from about 600 to 2,300 people. Paradis said that between 50 and 60 per cent of participants are not part of the LGBTQ+ communities. 'It shows that we have a community that supports us, that we have a part of the population that wants to stand with us and say, 'We want these people to be treated like everyone else,'' Paradis said. 'Everything related to sexual orientation is now taken for granted, but gender identities are still largely unknown, misunderstood, and mocked,' said Paradis, who is non-binary. Beyond allies, Fierté Val-d'Or defines itself as an intergenerational festival aimed at 'breaking the isolation of older members.' 'We're like an anchor for people who are alone,' says Paradis. Val d'Or isn't the only rural town with a new pride festival. Mont-Laurier, a town in the Laurentian Mountains, about 190 kilometres northwest of Montreal, organized its second Pride festival this year. 'The goal is to provide a more personalized and accessible resource in the region,' explains Maxime Belisle, president and founder of Fierté Hautes-Laurentides. 'We want to be more and more present to show that it's good to live in the Hautes-Laurentides and that there is also help available.' While the festival's arrival in the region has prompted a few hateful messages online, Bélisle says the local population has largely been supportive. The first Pride march organized last year by Fierté Hautes-Laurentides brought together about 200 people in the streets of Mont-Laurier. 'People were very happy to see it,' Belisle said. 'In the region, people's comments are that we've come this far and we need this to move forward in our efforts to improve quality of life.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2025. Quentin Dufranne, The Canadian Press
CBC
6 days ago
- CBC
Quebec's construction holiday the deadliest in last 10 years, say provincial police
Quebec provincial police is reminding motorists to remain cautious given an unprecedented number of road deaths that occurred over Quebec's two-week construction holiday. The construction break is known to be a dangerous time of year on Quebec roads, but this year the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is reporting 38 deaths from 30 collisions during the two-week period, compared to 17 deaths during 2024's construction holiday. The tally for 2025 includes 31 road deaths and seven that that happened off road on the recreational network. "This data represents the worst results of the last 10 years on the network served by the SQ," police said in a news release. This past weekend alone, at least nine people died, including four in a single-vehicle crash when a 29-year-old driver veered off the road in Saint-Luc-de-Bellechasse, in Quebec's Chaudière-Appalaches region, and slammed into a tree. The driver, and three children under the age of 10 were killed. The SQ also reported the deaths of three motorcyclists, one near Gatineau on Highway 105, another in Sainte-Flavie on the south shore of the St. Lawrence and a third in construction zone in Notre-Dame-de-Montauban in the Mauricie on Sunday. André Durocher, a spokesperson for CAA-Québec, said the spike could be due to changes in Quebecers' travelling patterns amid the trade war with the United States. "More people announced their intention to spend their vacation in Quebec," he said, adding there were probably more people on the road because of it. One woman was killed in a three-vehicle collision in Cowansville in the Eastern Townships on Sunday and the driver of a heavy truck also died after losing control of his vehicle in Saint-Moïse, near Rimouski, Que. Gino Desrosiers, the spokesperson for Quebec's automobile insurance board — the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec — said the vast majority of these collisions are preventable. "It's human behaviour. So we're talking about speeding, distraction, impaired driving, fatigue," he said.
CTV News
03-08-2025
- CTV News
Several seriously injured in crash in Saint-Luc-de-Bellechasse
A Quebec Provincial Police vehicle in Saint-Nicolas, Lévis, on October 12, 2012. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot) A man and three children were seriously injured in a crash Saturday in Saint-Luc-de-Bellechasse, in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. Emergency services were called to Rang Sainte-Sabine around 5:30 p.m. after a vehicle struck a tree for unknown reasons. Skid marks were visible on the unpaved road. When first responders arrived, the vehicle's occupants were trapped inside and unresponsive. They were transported to hospital, and authorities say their lives are at risk. The victims include a 30-year-old man and three children under the age of 10. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 2, 2025.
CBC
03-08-2025
- CBC
Deadly weekend on Quebec roads, 3 children among the victims
Six people died on Quebec roads over the weekend in three separate crashes, including a 29-year-old man and three children under the age of 10. The four were killed in a single-vehicle collision in Saint-Luc-de-Bellechasse, in Quebec's Chaudière-Appalaches region on Saturday. Quebec provincial police said that the crash happened at around 5:30 p.m. on Sainte-Sabine Road when the vehicle veered off the road and slammed into a tree. Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Eloïse Cosette said the road is narrow and unpaved in that area. When officers arrived at the scene, all four occupants were trapped inside. The jaws of life were used to free them from the wreckage. All four were taken to hospital in critical condition, Cossette said, where their deaths were later confirmed. The SQ confirmed all four victims were from the area. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause. Police reported two other fatal crashes on Saturday, both involving motorcyclists. One happened on Highway 105 near Kazabazua in the Gatineau area after a collision with a truck. The other was in Sainte-Flavie on Highway 132, roughly 350 kilometres east of Quebec City. The SQ said the motorcyclist hit a small recreational vehicle that was parked on the side of the road. He was transported to hospital where he later died. The deaths come just as the two-week construction holiday in Quebec draws to a close. It is usually the deadliest time of years for drivers, but this year has been especially bad. As of Saturday, according to La Presse Canadienne, provincial police were reporting 20 deaths on roads and highways under their jurisdiction, compared to 14 the year before. The SQ will be releasing its full report on Monday.
