Death of a homeless man in Val-d’Or: the family satisfied with the coroner’s investigation | Safety and homelessness in Val-d’Or

The family of Gilles Gaouette is satisfied with the coroner’s public inquiry which attempted to shed light on the man’s death, which occurred in Val-d’Or in December 2022.

The 72-year-old man, who was homeless, died shortly after being found outside the Val-d’Or emergency room, where he was under observation.

Coroner Stéphanie Gamache heard 20 witnesses during the week to shed light on the exact causes of Mr. Gaouette’s death, but also on all the factors that may have contributed to it.

The hearings revealed that Gilles Gaouette’s last months were marked by significant consumer and behavioral problems, which led to his eviction from the private residence where he lived. Supported by his son in Senneterre while waiting to find a new accommodation solution, he chose to return to a homeless situation in Val-d’Or, a few days before his death.

Despite the design of an individualized support plan by social workers upon his return to the street, Gilles Gaouette was never able to be admitted to an active geriatrics program because he was unable to see the doctor in charge.

Several visits to the emergency room in the days before his death due to severe poisoning resulted in Gilles Gaouette refusing treatment.

Hospitalized and placed on protective custody the evening of his death, he still managed to leave the emergency room in very cold weather, which may have contributed to causing cardiac arrest.

No culprit

From the start of her public inquiry, Coroner Gamache recalled that the aim of the exercise was not to find culprits, but to see if this death could have been avoided, with a view to formulating recommendations.

Present all week, Gilles Gaouette’s son, Yannick, said he was impressed and satisfied with the work carried out by the coroner’s office.

I admit that I didn’t expect much at first, perhaps out of prejudice towards the justice system. But the professionalism of the people convinces me that something positive will come out of it.

Yannick Gaouette says he learned a lot about the complexity of the work of organizations that work with vulnerable or homeless people.

We weren’t looking for culprits and I understood that, even if there always remains something in our minds, he explains. But I understood clearly from the testimonies that everyone wanted to be in the good care of my father. Circumstances meant that from one organization to another, the structure was missing pieces and information circulated poorly. We also become aware of the importance of caring for people in distress as early as possible. This is the key to success.

Actions taken

The authorities of the Abitibi-Témiscamingue Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSS-AT), who participated in the public inquiry, say they are already proactive in improving the safety net for people experiencing homelessness in the region, and particularly in Val-d’Or.

A series of measures taken or in the process of being taken were presented to Coroner Gamache, including an access strategy for clients at risk of homelessness, better management of complex cases and better consultation between organizations.

We hope that it has been clarified in the light of the testimonies, that there were significant attempts to help Mr. Gaouette, attempts to follow up and measures hoped for by everyone to preserve his life .

Each death is important and that of Mr. Gaouette is part of a continuum of continuous improvement of dependency and homelessness cases at the CISSS-AT. We will continue to think about it and we will of course read the recommendations carefully, with the aim of incorporating them into our actions.he added.

Two other cases

Coroner Gamache will prepare, over the coming months, her report concerning the death of Gilles Gaouette. She was also given the mandate to investigate the deaths of Rayden Anichinapeo-Pien and Pasha Ekoomiak, which occurred in early 2023 after visits to Val-d’Or hospital.

Each of the cases will ultimately be the subject of a separate investigation and report. The hearings for these two other cases have been postponed indefinitely.