logo
Jury finds Quebec man guilty on all charges in 2023 truck attack in Amqui, Que.

Jury finds Quebec man guilty on all charges in 2023 truck attack in Amqui, Que.

CTV News10 hours ago

Steeve Gagnon is escorted by police into court in Amqui, Que., Tuesday, March 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
RIMOUSKI — A Quebec man has been found guilty of all charges in a 2023 truck attack in a rural community that killed three men and injured nine other people.
Forty-year-old Steeve Gagnon learned his fate following two days of deliberations by the jury, who returned with unanimous verdicts this evening.
Gagnon was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder of nine other people in March 2023 in Amqui, about 350 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Louis Dionne immediately sentenced Gagnon to life in prison without possibility of parole for 25 years on the murder charges and 10 years for each of the attempted murder charges, to be served concurrently.
The Crown had argued the acts that led to the deaths were intentional and premeditated, saying Gagnon had formed and adapted a plan that resulted in pedestrians being run down on the road as he accelerated his truck onto the sidewalk.
The accused, meanwhile, had argued the deaths were an accident in a moment of inattention when he picked up an e-cigarette from the cab of his truck.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 21, 2025.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

She was sexually assaulted in a rideshare. She's not alone — but companies won't share Canadian data
She was sexually assaulted in a rideshare. She's not alone — but companies won't share Canadian data

CBC

time2 hours ago

  • CBC

She was sexually assaulted in a rideshare. She's not alone — but companies won't share Canadian data

When Emily ordered a ride through a rideshare app after hanging out with friends six years ago, she thought she was making a safe choice. Then, she was sexually assaulted by her driver. Two years after the driver pleaded guilty to sexual assault, Emily decided to sue him and the rideshare company in civil court. The lawsuit is still winding its way through the court system. "I was relying on the rideshare company to get me home safe and instead they put me in a car with my rapist," Emily said. Radio-Canada has changed her name and has not named the rideshare company to protect Emily's identity. In the past two years, at least five rideshare drivers have been arrested in connection with a sexual assault or convicted in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, based on police data. But it's unclear how comprehensive that number is. That's because, despite having done so for the U.S., companies such as Uber and Lyft have not released data on alleged sexual assaults in Canada. Several lawyers say the companies should be more transparent about such cases. "They are touting a safe service," said Toronto lawyer Simona Jellinek. "Show us how safe it is. Prove it." Meanwhile, Toronto-based lawyer Darryl Singer says he has worked on around a dozen cases in the last five years involving someone suing a rideshare company after an alleged sexual assault. Several cases are ongoing, he told CBC Toronto in May. Most of his cases are in the GTA, he said. In 2019, one of his clients, a woman from Toronto, sued Uber and a driver for $5 million. The lawsuit was settled, he said. Reports involving rideshares have increased "notably" since 2020, said Toronto police spokesperson Nadine Ramadan in an email to CBC Toronto. "These increases are more pronounced than the overall trends for assaults and sexual violations city-wide," she wrote, adding the increase may coincide with an expanded use of ride-sharing services since 2020. Uber, Lyft tout several safety features Uber and Lyft condemned incidents of sexual assault in emails to Radio-Canada. Both platforms provide in-app safety measures. Uber lets passengers share their trip details with someone else and has an emergency assistance button that allows users to call 911. Lyft also offers a location-sharing function. The company says it "monitors rides for unusual activity, like long stops or route deviations." "If we notice anything off about your ride, we'll contact you to see if you need help," Lyft says on its website. But Emily said these measures gave her a "false sense of security." "Unfortunately, there are still bad people out there that also use these apps," she said. Driver screening should be improved, lawyer says Lyft has "incorporated a number of features to promote safety" for riders, including screening processes for drivers, spokesperson Allison Guthrie said. Meanwhile, Uber spokesperson Gabriela Condarco-Quesada said the company is "constantly seek[ing] new ways to improve safety … before, during, and after every ride." But Singer said the companies should do more to screen their drivers. People who want to drive for Uber or Lyft in Toronto have to follow a series of steps, starting with a background check conducted by the companies. The companies then apply for a licence on behalf of the drivers. The city reviews the applicant's criminal record check and driving record before issuing the licence. One ground of refusal for a licence is the conviction for "any sexual offence under the Criminal Code in the preceding ten years," according to the city's website. If the city becomes aware of any breaches of its screening criteria, it notifies the companies and "they are required to immediately remove the driver," city spokesperson Shane Gerard said. But with nearly 80,500 people licensed to drive for rideshare companies in the city in December 2024, according to a recent report, a criminal background check alone is not sufficient, Singer said. "Somebody may never have had a criminal record before precisely because they've never been convicted," he said. Singer would like to see applicants interviewed before they begin driving. "I can't imagine in my office hiring somebody based on an exchange of text messages through an app," he said. Companies haven't committed to releasing Canadian data Singer said the City of Toronto "could easily" require rideshare apps to publish sexual assault data annually to continue operating, as they have done in the U.S. The city has published data from rideshare companies before, such as the number of trips made in the city. But while riders can file a complaint on the city's website against a driver regarding the conditions of their vehicle, any complaint related to the behaviour of the driver must be filed directly with the company. WATCH | Most criminal charges laid in Ontario are tossed before making it to court, data shows: Data shows majority of criminal charges laid in Ontario don't make it to trial 7 months ago Duration 3:52 Neither city staff nor Mayor Olivia Chow's office responded when asked if they had asked rideshare companies operating in Toronto to share sexual assault data. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Transport Canada said the federal department has no involvement in the regulation or oversight of rideshare operations. In its latest U.S. report, Lyft said 2,651 cases of alleged sexual assault by drivers and passengers were reported to the company between 2020 and 2022. That amounts to one case for every 540,000 trips, it said. Lyft said it will continue to monitor the situation in Canada, but did not commit to publishing Canadian data. Uber said 2,717 alleged cases of sexual assault by drivers and passengers in the U.S. were reported to the company between January 2021 and December 2022 — one case for every 700,000 trips, according to the company's latest report. A spokesperson for Uber said the company will "continue to evaluate future opportunities to publish additional reports." Both companies said cases of sexual assault are exceedingly rare. Burlington lawyer Laura Hillyer, who has represented victims of sexual assault in rideshare vehicles, said rideshare companies should be more transparent in releasing data about all alleged crimes during trips. "If I go out for dinner with my friends in the city and I choose to walk home alone in the dark, I know what risk I'm taking," she said. "I don't think people fully appreciate the risk that they're taking when they get into a rideshare because I don't think the risks are fully disclosed." Meanwhile, for Emily, while taking her case to court has been no easy feat, she says speaking out has taught her an important lesson.

Parking complaints up, noise calls down, annual bylaw report shows
Parking complaints up, noise calls down, annual bylaw report shows

CBC

time2 hours ago

  • CBC

Parking complaints up, noise calls down, annual bylaw report shows

Parking complaints made up the bulk of calls to Ottawa bylaw officers in 2024, rising for at least the fourth straight year, new statistics show. The city's bylaw department got 43,380 requests for parking enforcement last year, according to the annual report being presented Monday to the emergency preparedness and protective services committee. That's about 2,000 more calls than in 2023. It's also nearly 13,000 more calls than in 2020, although that was the year the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. The overall number of bylaw requests in 2024 stayed relatively steady, with officers handling just under 98,500 calls — a slight drop of 1.5 per cent from the year before, the report notes. Parking complaints made up 43 per cent of all service requests. The other top three requests focused on property standards and zoning enforcement (16 per cent), animal care and control issues (14 per cent) and noise concerns (10 per cent). "They are a very busy department," said River ward Coun. Riley Brockington, the chair of the committee. "Only 222 people work in bylaw, but they've received just under 100,000 calls." Noise complaints down Noise complaints were down for the fourth straight year, according to the report, falling from north of 12,000 in 2020 to just shy of 9,800 last year. The gradual decline "can likely be attributed to residents spending more time away from home as they return to office following the pandemic," the report notes. There was a much steeper drop-off, however, in the number of pets either getting spayed or neutered or having microchips implanted at the city-run clinic. Both totals dropped by more than half in 2024, in part due to the clinic lacking a permanent full-time veterinary surgeon amid a wider industry-wide vet shortage, the report notes. Other tidbits from the annual report: Illegal dumping calls were up 43 per cent in 2024, the same year a new three-item limit for curbside garbage came into effect. The report credits the higher call volumes to better public awareness. About 300 illegal short-term rental listings in Ottawa were taken down. The city's new on-demand accessible taxi program, a pilot project launched last spring, has led to a 21 per cent monthly rise in the number of people taking accessible cabs. More than 30 enforcement actions were taken as part of another pilot project aimed at addressing problematic properties in Rideau-Vanier and Somerset wards. Top priority calls — like those concerning dog attacks, a lack of heat or a dangerous tree — were responded to within 24 hours almost 99 per cent of the time, the report said. For several years, Ottawa's bylaw department has also been saddled with a higher per-officer call volume than what's been seen in other mid-to-large-sized Ontario cities like Toronto, Hamilton and Windsor. But that number dropped sharply in 2024, with Brockington also noting the city has since hired "about a dozen" more bylaw officers. "We heard that there were pressures in bylaw," he said. "And in 2025, city council made a good investment to address some of that work." Brockington also said he would be introducing a motion Monday to create a "bylaw personnel appreciation day," similar to days that already exist for Ottawa police officers and firefighters.

Police warn 'heartbreaking' distraction thefts could rise in the summer
Police warn 'heartbreaking' distraction thefts could rise in the summer

CBC

time8 hours ago

  • CBC

Police warn 'heartbreaking' distraction thefts could rise in the summer

Social Sharing Police in the Lower Mainland are warning the longer, brighter days of summer mean distraction thefts, in which robbers quickly try to confuse victims while stealing from them, are expected to increase. Jewelry, valuables and money are often stolen in the thefts, which have been a problem for years, according to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). Richard Jeha, a hairstylist and owner of Richard Jeha Salon, said he was robbed of treasured jewelry — a bracelet from a loved one and a cross on a gold chain — that he was wearing, while walking his dog in Vancouver's Kerrisdale neighbourhood earlier this month. Jeha said it was still light out when he was approached by a woman offering him a strange-looking ring. She proceeded to ask him for the bracelet he was wearing. It was a gift from a loved one in Lebanon, Jeha told CBC's On the Coast. The woman said her husband, waiting in a nearby car with a small child, would pay for Jeha's bracelet. "I said, 'No, no, no, I don't want any of that.' ... Anyway, she came from behind me, grabbed my elbow and pushed it into his window." The man in the vehicle grabbed Jeha's hand, which the woman was holding, and slid his hand under the bracelet. "He put his finger and just yanked it off me," Jeha said. The man also stole Jeha's cross necklace, which he had had since he was five years old. Jeha tried to yell at the couple, but to no avail. "It wasn't more than a minute or so that she's in the car, and they took off." Two boys helped Jeha call 911 after the incident. Police concerned about distraction thefts The VPD said the incident is very similar to other distraction thefts, however sometimes people aren't even aware they're being robbed. "This has been going on for years and years and years. It's a very sophisticated group that's doing this," Const. Tania Visintin said. About 70 cases of distraction theft have been reported to VPD since the beginning of the year, according to Visintin. She said distraction thefts commonly occur in residential areas; the south and southeast parts of Vancouver are particular hotspots for this type of crime, possibly because there are more homes. Visintin said a common strategy the robbers use is to approach a victim with a sob story. She noted they can come up to victims in yards or even on porches or patios. "It's not just one group; it's several groups, so it does make catching them very difficult for us. But because there's such an increase right now, we're doing a lot of work, especially behind the scenes, a lot of covert things that I can't unfortunately speak about," Visintin said. "We're taking this as a priority because these are innocent people that are getting targeted, and it's very heartbreaking to see." Police in other Lower Mainland cities have also sent out warnings about distraction thefts. Burnaby RCMP said three thefts in recent weeks have resulted in two victims losing family heirlooms. In March, Surrey Police Service noted there had been more than a dozen incidents of distraction theft in the first three months of the year. If you are approached by a stranger and feel uncomfortable, police recommend yelling and making noise to try attract the attention of others nearby. Jeha said he wished he would have not visibly worn his cross over his shirt. "That was something, a well-learned lesson."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store