River Road Rage

Speed boat deliberate crashing into pontoon boat

Sophie Demers

On August 15 at approximately 8pm, the Service de Police de la Ville de Gatineau (SPVG) received a call from an individual reporting a speed boat that was driving aggressively on La Blanche River.

The call was being made to the emergency center as the events unfolded. According to the SPVG the reception was not good throughout the phone call as the individual calling was on their own boat.

While on the phone, the individual who was on a pontoon boat indicated that the speed boat had deliberately crashed into the side of their boat. The individual was able to film the events. Everyone on the vessel was safe, no one was harmed.

Once a secure location was identified, the emergency center dispatched an ambulance and police officers to the scene. According to the SPVG, the ambulance was a preventive measure. A man has been arrested and has met with investigations. He was released with conditions and promise to appear for upcoming meetings. The file was sent to the criminal investigation office and will be submitted to the Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions for approval.

The investigation is currently ongoing.

The three projects presented by the Summer 2022 cohort include the construction of a wooden garden composting system, the recent planting of fruit trees and shrubs on a vacant portion of the Jardin urbain du Vieux-Gatineau, as well as the creation and design of posters aimed at raising awareness of certain ecological realities such as urban agriculture, the Jardin urbain and its operation, community gardening, etc. The posters created by the young people will soon appear on the site of the Jardin urbain du Vieux-Gatineau and will form an interpretive trail for future visitors to the park. The MNA for Chapleau, Mathieu Lévesque, was present at the unveiling of the projects by the young people and underlined the remarkable work and involvement of this cohort dedicated to eco-citizenship. The Enviro Éduc-Action organization, which oversees the C-Vert program in Gatineau, wanted to thank, in addition to the MNA for Chapleau, its many partners and collaborators for this edition of the program (Green Fund of the City of Gatineau, Secrétariat à la jeunesse du Québec, Serres urbaines Notre-Dame, Horti-Cité and many others).

Photo caption: The youth of the C-Vert Gatineau program and Mathieu Lévesque at the press conference on July 20, 2022

Photo credit: Courtesy of Enviro Éduc-Action