In the wake of last week's sad tragedy in a building on rue Émile-Bouchard, Vaudreuil-Dorion mayor Guy Pilon sent a letter to the Minister responsible for Social Services, Mr. Lionel Carmant, on Monday February 19. 

The purpose of the letter is to request that the review of Bill P-38 (An Act respecting the protection of persons whose mental state presents a danger to themselves or to others) announced last May be carried out within a reasonable timeframe, and that it also include the Quebec Mental Disorders Review Board.

A copy of the letter was also sent to Premier François Legault and to the Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil, Marie-Claude Nichols.

Here it is in full: 

Dear Minister,

I have been Mayor of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion for nearly 19 years. I was born here and have lived here for 71 years. My city has often distinguished itself in culture, but also in the implementation of innovative projects. 

We recently adopted a policy of living together to recognize and respect all forms of diversity, combat discrimination and facilitate harmonious cohabitation. We are committed to offering a quality of life to all generations, and we advocate tolerance and openness to others. We have a municipal patrol, organizations that intervene with various clienteles, always so that our citizens can live in a safe environment conducive to raising a family.

On February 15, this city that I love so much made headlines all over the media. A vocabulary that I never thought would be associated with our community was deployed: carnage in Vaudreuil-Dorion, violent attack, sordid assault. Right now, my constituents are worried. Near the building where the tragedy took place are several retirement homes. In the high-rise building where the attacks took place, there were children, couples and people living alone. Many had already crossed paths with the accused.As you can imagine, these citizens were worried.Some of them turned to me to find out what the city was going to do to prevent this type of tragedy from happening again. You will understand that the answer cannot come from the municipal administration.

Could this extremely sad human tragedy have been avoided?
I'm not a legislator, and my knowledge of mental health issues is very limited.

However, I have read about Bill P-38 (An Act respecting the protection of persons whose mental state presents a danger to themselves or to others) and I sincerely hope that the review of this law, which you announced last May, will be carried out within a reasonable timeframe, and that it will also involve the Quebec Mental Disorders Review Board. We have a right to question the notion of serious and immediate danger, mentioned in this law, which may justify a consultation with a specialist. In a situation of imminent danger, who makes the diagnosis? Is it possible to see a psychiatrist quickly? What happens in the case of a person suffering from a mental health disorder who is unaware of the seriousness of his illness and doesn't want to take his medication? Could they slip through the cracks? Is this what happened on February 15 in my city? The investigation will tell us.

On March 30, 2023, the mother of a child suffering from schizophrenia, Martine Landry, wrote in the Opinions section of La Presse newspaper: "Unfortunately, the ineffectiveness of Bill P-38 in protecting the most severely afflicted people all too often results in the death of loved ones who were desperately trying to help them.

It also happens that complete strangers are attacked and killed during an episode of homicidal psychosis."Ms. Landry's comment brings us right back to the tragedy that took place in my city.

Mr. Minister, if we want to prevent people with mental health problems from being stigmatized, I ask you to take steps that will reassure our populations and enable them to live together harmoniously.

Yours sincerely

Guy Pilon
Mayor of the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion

To read also: 

Assault with a weapon: suspect arrested in recent months

Assault with a weapon: the SQ confirms two deaths and one very seriously injured victim

Assault with a weapon: at least one victim seriously injured

LATEST NEWS: Violent attack in Vaudreuil-Dorion

Vaudreuil-Dorion tragedy: Fabio Puglisi charged with second-degree murder