2024, a year marked by armed violence on the North Shore

Rising gun violence and police strikes have garnered attention this year in the region. “It’s very unusual,” agrees the spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu. “This is unheard of in 2023 and 2024 for the police forces. »

Although rivalries between bikers and street gangs already existed in 2023, they took root on the North Shore this year. The figures of the SQ in mid-December clearly show this: 33 events linked to organized crime were recorded by the police and 48 arrests resulted.

Enough to bottle up the Sept-Îles courthouse. A request for access to information from - showed that the number of legal files processed jumped by 42% in one year. The number of charges related to crimes against the person and possession or use of illegal weapons all saw larger than average increases.

The increase in crime on the North Shore is directly linked to the royalty war, which is raging throughout Eastern Quebec.

There are independent clans who do not want to pay a tax for the right to sell [des stupéfiants] in the territory of criminal bikersexplains Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu, who describes the current situation as a crime disorganized.

Looking back on a busy year.

Winter: Police forces react

December 2023, before the new year even begins, the first shots hit a residence in Ferland Park, in Sept-Îles. A month later, another house, in the Arnaud canton, was the target of shooting.

It is also at this moment that the SQ and the Public Security of Uashat mak Mani-utenam (SPUM) are setting up a mixed and permanent squad to fight against organized crime, made up of three investigators from the SQ and two of the SPUM.

The police forces are also becoming more visible in the territory, going directly to meet the population to gather information and advance investigations.

At the end of February, the SQ carried out a major raid: 20 people suspected of having links with criminal groups were arrested in the east of the province. Of the lot, four suspects have connections with the North Shore.

The day after this strike, the mayor of Sept-Îles, Denis Miousse, declared that the arrests “will help the population to have confidence”. Reactions are divided within the population: some fear that the conflicts will increase in scale, others watch the events from afar.

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Spring: Fears spread to the population

The month of April was marked by a resumption of violence. An attempted murder takes place on Route 138 near Gallix and stray bullets reach a residence in Moisie.

In this context, the City of Sept-Îles asks the SQ to increase its workforce in the region. The mayor goes so far as to meet with officials from the local police station.

Denis Miousse said he was regularly approached by citizens concerned about the increase in armed violence. Citizens’ fears of receiving a stray bullet are starting to become widespread.

There are sufficient numbers of Sept-Îles police officers to carry out their mandateargues Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu.

With the temporary surge in violence, we had to increase staff numbers by bringing in other Sûreté du Québec investigators from across Quebec.

We have staff elsewherehe continues. We do not need to have them permanently in Sept-Îles or even in Baie-Comeau. We can have them [avec nous] temporarily to reduce the level of violence.

Summer: Gun violence in residential areas

If armed violence had mainly taken place on the outskirts of Sept-Îles since the start of the year, it moved to the city center at the end of August. On the evening of the 30th, shots were fired in the residential area of ​​Monseigneur-Blanche, causing no injuries.

That same weekend, shots rang out along Route 138. The events caused concern, to the point that the mayor of Sept-Îles urged his citizens to report any suspicious vehicles, people or actions to the police.

A speech that the SQafter two incidents occurred 10 days apart in Chute-aux-Outardes, including one near the elementary school.

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The public is the most important member of our police force. They have eyes and ears everywhere on the territoryrecalls Sergeant Hugues Beaulieu. They should not hesitate to call us at the criminal information center. It’s confidential, their identity is protected and they will speak directly with a police officer.

At the end of September, the joint investigation team of the SQ and the SPUM simultaneously arrests six people in Sept-Îles and Port-Cartier who are allegedly linked to the Blood Family Mafia, a street gang at the heart of the conflict against bikers in the east of the province.

There have been many arrests and it must be said, these are street gang members, not long-term criminals. So he often misses their shot.

But these are serious crimes. We are talking about armed assault, attempted murder, mutilation. These are things that are very, very serioushe adds.

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Autumn: Arson in Moisie

A new coup occurred in mid-October in Moisie, near Sept-Îles. An arson fire destroys a residence and a body is found in the rubble.

In the hours that followed and at the end of a police chase, five people were arrested in connection with this event: Lucas Bérubé, Raphaël Bérubé, Malory Fortin, Derek Lemay and Anthony Roy. Two days later, a sixth person, Jonathan Gendron, was apprehended in Baie-Comeau.

In response to this event, the Innu Council of Uashat mak Mani-utenam and the City of Sept-Îles organized a march to denounce the increase in armed violence. Nearly 300 people, including elected officials, parents and young people, take part in the event.

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Five of the co-defendants face charges of arson causing property damage. As for him, Jonathan Gendron is accused of having kidnapped, imprisoned or seized the victim by force.

To date, the victim’s autopsy has still not revealed the cause of death. The investigation is still ongoing and the prosecutor in the case, Marc Bérubé, does not exclude that other charges could be brought in this case.

Two co-defendants were released pending further proceedings: Malory Fortin and Raphaël Bérubé. The other four suspects are spending the holiday season behind bars. The court is expected to take up the case again in mid-January.

And for 2025?

Behind the violent events that shook the North Shore this year, the drug crisis worries elected officials, particularly within indigenous communities. The chiefs of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador also wish to stem this crisis.

The director of the Miam Uapukun Therapy Center in Mani-utenam, Gertrude Pinette, notes that young people aged 18 to 40, struggling with an addiction to cannabis or cocaine, are more and more common in her establishment.

For his part, the member for René-Lévesque, Yves Montigny, defends his government’s record, even if the CAQ blocked in November the holding of public consultations on the fight against organized crime this fall. He recalls that Quebec responds to requests from police forces as soon as they express the need.