Quebec City drunk driver sentenced to 16 years for killing 4 members of family
CBC
The Quebec City driver who killed two children, their mother and their grandfather last fall when his car crashed into theirs has been sentenced to 16 years in prison — the harshest sentence ever handed out by a Quebec court for a crime committed under similar circumstances.
Éric Légaré, 44, was under the influence of alcohol and speeding when the vehicle he was driving crashed into three other vehicles waiting for a left-turn signal at an intersection in Beauport, Que., on Sept. 2, 2021.
Emma Lemieux, 10, her half-brother Jackson Fortin, 14, their mother, Shellie Fletcher-Lemieux, 44, and grandfather, James Fletcher, 68, all died of injuries sustained in the collision.
"It's not a question here of determining the cost of a life," said Quebec court Judge Jean-Louis Lemay at Légaré's sentencing hearing in a Quebec City courtroom Friday.
"This is not a simple math calculation."
Lemay said his job was to determine a just sentence based on objective facts, the law and legal precedence. He said it is important to match the severity of a sentence to society's evolving view of the act of driving under the influence.
The courtroom was packed with relatives of the victims and of the convicted man, who waited attentively to hear the sentence. Jean-Dominic Lemieux, Emma's father and Shellie's husband of nine years, was notably absent.
Last December, Légaré pleaded guilty to 19 charges of dangerous driving causing death and injuries and driving while under the influence.
He had been drinking at a bar in Quebec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood before the crash, consuming a total of seven glasses of wine, plus another three shots of alcohol. He was driving at a speed of 130 km/h on the Dufferin-Montmorency highway in Beauport, on the outskirts of Quebec City, when he struck the stopped vehicles.
The Crown sought an 18- to 20-year prison term for Légaré and a lifelong driving ban, arguing a severe sentence was necessary to dissuade him and others from drinking and driving.
The defence argued a 10-year sentence would be more appropriate, arguing others who have been convicted for drunk driving in similar circumstances have been sentenced to between six and 14 years.
Légaré's lawyer, Vincent Montmigny, also said his client deeply regretted his actions.
During his trial testimony, Légaré had burst into tears and expressed his remorse to the victims' families, saying he had regular nightmares about what he had done.
He admitted to drinking and smoking weed more frequently in the months before the crash because of difficulties in his personal life.
The new Ontario Line will include protective barriers at all stations to separate platforms from the tracks, something the Toronto Transit Commission has been considering adding to its subway system for years.
This First Person column is the experience of Andrew Stetson, a writer and storyteller in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
After years of seemingly unlimited growth for the craft beer industry, the party is winding down.
Even from a few kilometres away, Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira is able to perform a critical diagnostic procedure, thanks to an internet connection and a remote-controlled robot.
The side of an abandoned fish sauce plant in St. Mary's, N.L. was ripped open after high winds overnight Friday into Saturday.
A police officer shot a man on Quinpool Road after he allegedly threatened them with a knife, Halifax Regional Police said in a news release.
For nearly a month, Montrealers from African countries have been gathering in the city's cafés, restaurants, bars and the comfort of their own homes to support their respective teams in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations — the continent's preeminent soccer tournament.
The union that represents Manitoba nurses says the emergency department at the hospital in Swan River is running with half the nurses required, with some shifts having no nurses at all.
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl is taking a brief leave of absence to attend to a family illness in Germany.
A fire tore through a school on Blueberry River First Nation north of Fort St. John early Saturday morning, destroying a building that has served the northeastern B.C. community for decades.
UPDATE | In an email Saturday, Air Canada passenger Heather Badenoch told CBC that CBSA officials had reached out, asked if she had anything to declare, and assured her she wouldn't have any future problems travelling.
With city crews still working away to clear the snow buildup from Thursday and more flurries in the forecast for this weekend, disability advocates in Toronto say there’s not enough support during winter weather events.