The father who died on Christmas Eve in Abitibi had ventured on a river that has become more hazardous with climate change, according to officials of the local snowmobile club, who are struggling to obtain funding to secure the crossing of the course. ‘water.
This first fatal accident of the snowmobile season cost the life of Philippe Breton, 43, of Saint-Marc-de-Figuery, a small town south of Amos, confirmed the coroner’s office.
Father of four children, Mr. Breton could have sunk in the water after thin ice gave way under his weight or after driving over a hole in the ice camouflaged under the snow.
Philippe Breton, a father of four children, died in a snowmobile accident on the Harricana River in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
Photo taken from Facebook, Eugénie Côté
“We have been forced to close the river crossing in peak season for several years now, since the thickness of the ice is too thin. Despite everything, some snowmobilers try to cross it anyway,” lamented Aubert Guillemette, the security director of the Amos Snowmobile Club.
On December 24, a citizen found a snowmobile helmet near a “clear hole” in the ice of the Harricana River near the village of Saint-Mathieu-d’Harricana, reported the spokesperson for the Sûreté du Quebec (SQ), Nancy Fournier.
“Snowmobile tracks going from north to south stopped at the clear hole,” she explains. On Christmas Day, SQ divers extricated the body from the icy waters.
Climate change
“In the collective memory, it is a watercourse that can be crossed, because snowmobilers have always done it in the past, but today, this is no longer true,” explains Stéphane Roy, the director to the operations and strategic issues of the Fédération des clubs de motoneigistes du Québec, which knows this region well.
“About fifteen years ago, it was a river that froze easily. But lately, with climate change, the ice is less thick,” assured the man who strongly recommends not venturing onto the waterways in winter.
“Currently, all river crossings are closed and it is indicated that the crossing is dangerous,” assured Aubert Guillemette.
He specifies that the accident occurred on Lake Figuery, which intersects the river, and that this sector is off the club’s trails.
A team of divers from the Sûreté du Québec searched for the body of Philippe Breton in the icy river on December 25.
Photo courtesy Erik Paquette
A safe crossing
The Club took steps with the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility (MTMD) to have a footbridge adjacent to a bridge built as a “safe crossing”.
The mayor of Amos, Sébastien D’Astous, assured that he had supported the Club in its efforts. Such a footbridge could have been used by snowmobilers in winter and by pedestrians and cyclists in summer, said Mr. Guillemette.
“The MTQ wanted us to raise part of the funds, which is not financially feasible for us,” he was saddened.
The Club has since returned to the drawing board to develop a less expensive floating bridge project.
