David Lemire’s father, Victorin, fell ill while shoveling snow during a severe storm on March 16. In St-Bruno-de-Guigues, Quebec’s Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, he collapsed after telling Lemire’s mother that he wasn’t feeling well. Lemire’s younger brother made multiple 911 calls, but the calls were misrouted to Ontario, across Lake Témiscamingue.
After struggling to reach a French-speaking operator, the correct dispatch center was finally contacted on the third attempt. By the time paramedics arrived, approximately 50 minutes had passed since the first 911 call. Despite the paramedics’ efforts, Victorin Lemire passed away due to a heart attack.
The issue of misrouted 911 calls is a common occurrence along the Ontario-Quebec border, particularly near Lake Témiscamingue. Pierre-Luc Gingras, a supervisor at the Abitibi-Témiscamingue emergency call center, explained that various factors such as weather conditions, obstructions, and tower orientations can lead to misrouting.
In addition to technical challenges, a language barrier may exist for Quebec callers connected to an Ontario 911 operator. Michel Vaillant, mayor of Notre-Dame-du-Nord, emphasizes the need for citizens to be informed on what to do in such situations.
Vaillant suggests using a landline instead of a cell phone when calling 911 in the region. For cell phone callers who are misrouted to Ontario, he recommends requesting a transfer to “911 Quebec.” The upcoming implementation of Next Gen 911 service in Abitibi-Témiscamingue is expected to address such issues by geolocating calls.
While officials anticipate the resolution may take several years, the Lemire family hopes that sharing their story will help prevent similar incidents from occurring again.