Community shows support for unhoused woman allegedly targeted by driver in Brossard, Que.
Social Sharing
Dozens of people gathered on Montreal's South Shore on Tuesday to show solidarity with a woman experiencing homelessness who police say was intentionally struck by a car last week.
Standing before the crowd with a cast on her leg and bruises on her knee, Caroline Derome delivered a brief but emotional message.
"I feel a lot of love, and it's absolutely helping me right now," she said, addressing supporters and members of the media.
The rally, held in Brossard near the site of the incident, was organized by local shelters and community groups who say the event is a stark reminder of how vulnerable unhoused individuals remain.
On May 27, Derome, 44, was struck by a car just steps from where she'd set up a tent the night prior on a residential street.
The mother of two says she lost her job due to mental health issues, then lost her home.
She was taken to hospital with serious injuries to her legs and needed surgery for a broken ankle after the incident.
The driver, 46-year-old Luigi Fragomele, was charged with dangerous driving, assault with a weapon — in this case a vehicle — leaving the scene of an accident and mischief. He remains in custody, with a bail hearing set for Thursday.
While the motive behind the alleged attack remains unclear, representatives from community groups said the situation highlights the importance of treating everyone, regardless of their housing status, with dignity and respect.
"There's no face to homelessness," said Pierre Rousseau, who manages Halte du Coin, an emergency shelter in the area. "You wouldn't believe how many people I see, people I shake hands with, who don't even realize they're living in a homeless situation."
Martine Audate, who works with the Brossard Consultation Table, a local organization that supports people in vulnerable situations, said the rising cost of living is creating more instability across the South Shore.
"People think it's easier here than in downtown Montreal, but it's not," Audate said. "It's still very hard to get housing here."
For now, Derome is staying with her brother as she recovers from her injuries. She says the support she's received from the community has been crucial to her healing, both physically and emotionally.
"I feel privileged," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Man dead after shooting in Brampton
A man is dead after a shooting in Brampton on Friday, Peel Regional Police say. The shooting happened in the area of Rutherford Road S. and Glidden Road, near Highway 410, police said in a post on X on Friday. Officers were called to the scene at about 5:45 p.m. Paramedics took the man in life-threatening condition to hospital, where he died. The suspects left in a vehicle, according to police. There is a large police presence in the area. Homicide detectives have taken over the investigation.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
A moving company says cluttered, unsafe homes are leading to an increase in challenges
Movers say they're seeing more difficult cases, including homes in extreme disarray, hoarding situations, and units that pose health hazards to workers. A moving company says cluttered, unsafe homes are leading to an increase in challenges A moving company and a pest control company say they've seen a sharp rise in especially difficult moves since the pandemic. These include homes in extreme disarray, hoarding situations, and units that pose health hazards to the workers walking in. Pierre-Olivier Cyr, co-owner of Déménagement Le Clan Panneton, said that before the pandemic, his team would encounter mental health-related moving challenges roughly once a month. But now, he says, 'we're seeing that kind of situation two to three times a week.' He believes the issue has exploded in the past year. In many cases, Cyr said movers show up to an apartment to find no boxes packed, belongings everywhere — or worse. moving Sometimes movers will find things like needles, blood and condoms on the ground. (Submitted by Pierre-Olivier Cyr) 'It's not rare that the movers arrive, for example, at an apartment and they see some syringes, some condoms, some blood on the floor,' he said. 'Sometimes the person [client] is just there sitting, in shock.' Cyr believes these situations are linked to what he sees as a rise in mental health struggles that have persisted since the height of the COVID-19 crisis. 'In the past, people were ready for moving day,' he explained. 'Now we're called to reschedule because they aren't prepared. Other times, we arrive and realize they're hoarders and nothing has been touched.' 'Our movers aren't psychiatrists' The result, he said, is a growing burden on his employees. Not only are they asked to pack up entire apartments, but they must also navigate potentially unsafe conditions. 'Our movers aren't psychiatrists or mental health professionals,' Cyr said. 'So, we've had to put in place procedures to help.' He explained that, if movers walk into a situation with a customer in a mental health crisis, they call a dispatcher at their office right away. 'We manage it as a team, and we train our staff to be ready, but it's different every time,' he added. It's a pattern pest control expert Alexis Laberge, owner of Alextermination, is also seeing. He said he encounters heavily cluttered or unsanitary apartments every week, often in the context of a move. 'These apartments are very dirty and very clustered, which makes it harder for us to treat for pests like cockroaches or bedbugs,' he said. Pierre-Olivier Cyr, Pierre-Olivier Cyr, co-owner of Déménagement Le Clan Panneton, said that before the pandemic, says his team is encountering more mental health-related moving challenges. (Laurence Brisson Dubreuil/CTV) Laberge said the problem is logistical and financial. Treatment requires that apartments be emptied in advance, but when they're not, his team is stuck doing all the prep work. 'For every apartment that's not ready, we lose two to five extra hours,' he said. 'That's not what we quoted, so it becomes extra costs for the owner, the tenant, or the moving company and no one wants to take responsibility.' In one case about a month ago, Laberge said he and his team spent two extra days emptying a severely neglected unit filled with animal and human feces, cockroaches, and mice droppings. 'It was a nightmare,' he said. 'And in the middle of our busiest season.' He says these cases are not just draining — they're emotionally exhausting. 'It creates a lot of stress and anxiety for us, too. But we can't leave people like that. Sometimes, we just do it for free.' Pandemic made problems worse According to clinical psychologist Dr. Natalia Koszegi, these situations can stem from a combination of mental health issues, including compulsive hoarding disorder. Koszegi is the clinical coordinator at the Centre d'étude clinique sur les troubles obsessionnels-compulsifs (CETOC), where she specializes in obsessive-compulsive and hoarding disorders. 'Hoarding is a mental health disorder where people accumulate objects and have extreme difficulty letting them go,' she explained. 'They often feel emotionally attached or justify the need to keep them. Over time, it creates serious clutter.' She added that the pandemic exacerbated existing mental health problems for many people. 'The stress, unpredictability, and insecurity created by the pandemic affected everyone,' she said. 'But for people who already had a mental illness — including those with obsessive-compulsive or hoarding disorders — it got worse.' Koszegi also pointed out that not all disorganized homes are a result of hoarding. She said other conditions like depression, psychosis, or substance use can lead to over-accumulation. hoarding Movers say they're seeing more difficult cases, including homes in extreme disarray, hoarding situations, and units that pose health hazards to the workers walking in. (Laurence Brisson Dubreuil/CTV) But, when it comes to people with hoarding disorders, she said the experience of moving can be 'extremely complex' and lead to people being in crisis. 'Just gathering their belongings and putting them into boxes can take forever,' she said. 'It creates massive anxiety. People worry about losing or damaging their possessions, or being forced to throw them away.' In severe cases, she said, even the thought of packing can trigger distress. 'They might be afraid they won't have space for everything in their new home. It's not just a problem of organization, it's an emotional struggle.' Resources exist to help people navigate these challenges, but Koszegi said access remains limited. 'There are not enough services,' she said. 'But there are some community organizations and even city-level supports that can help people plan or prepare for a move.' She pointed to tools available through the Comité d'action pour le trouble d'accumulation compulsive (CATAC), a Quebec-based network offering peer support and professional resources for people living with hoarding disorder. For Cyr, the message is simple: these can be more than simply messy moves — sometimes, they're cries for help. 'We need to be ready to manage them with care,' he said.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘We will do better': Business director of Dutchie's reacts after being fined for wage theft
Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director Michael Renkema have been sentenced after pleading guilty to wage theft. CTV's Heather Senoran reports. Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director Michael Renkema have been sentenced after pleading guilty to wage theft. CTV's Heather Senoran reports. Dutchie's Fresh Market and its business director, Michael Renkema, have been sentenced after more than a year of allegations, protests, orders to pay and court delays. Renkema plead guilty to 13 counts of wage theft under the Employment Standards Act in December 2024. On Friday, a joint submission was filed by the Crown and lawyer for Dutchie's and Renkema. It recommended a $25,000 fine for Dutchie's as a corporation and an additional $7,500 for Renkema alone. Justice Michael Cuthbertson agreed with that sentence. He also decided Renkema and Dutchie's would not have to pay any additional victim surcharges. According to Renkema's lawyer, Rachel Goldenberg, the 13 former employees involved in the case have now been paid. She said more than $10,000 in fees also went to the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Finance. Goldenberg then asked the judge to give Renkema 20 months to pay off the fines. Justice Cuthbertson agreed. Renkema's lawyer also referenced an alleged issue with the company's refrigeration vendor in 2021, which led to financial turmoil for Dutchie's. 'The company faced significant financial losses in the millions of dollars and incurred significant debt,' Goldenberg said. 'The defendants deeply regret that when faced with this sudden loss of financial resources and mounting debt, employees were not paid their wages. The defendants acknowledge and take responsibility for this failure to pay wages, and when faced with this prosecution, did enter a guilty plea.' Two victim impact statements were read in court before the sentencing. One was from a former employee who said he had recently moved to Canada. 'When the payment delays began, I felt betrayed and exploited. I made several efforts to address the situation, sending emails and messages explaining the difficulties I was facing, but no resolution was provided,' the statement read. Justice Cuthbertson said what happened to the former employees wasn't right. 'People lost wages that they needed to pay bills in their life, put food on the table… They were deprived of their livelihood, simply put. I must ensure that Mr. Renkema and the corporation never again put themselves in the position of depriving employees of their wages,' he said. Renkema comments Renkema sent CTV News a statement on the day the sentence was delivered. 'We are deeply sorry for the lengthy process and burden this has been for all involved, especially the employees. Though the Gateway [Kitchener] location sustained losses in the millions, primarily due to poor workmanship of the refrigeration contractor, we understand we have obligations to our employees and our suppliers. It is our goal to continue to honor these obligations. We do thank customers who have supported us in honoring this goal. We will do better as we rebuild.' dutchie's kitchener Dutchie's Fresh Food Market seen on August 19, 2024. (CTV News/Jeff Pickel) According to Renkema's lawyer, the small family grocer first opened its doors 40 years ago. At one time they had multiple stores, but now have one with only 13 employees.
