THETFORD MINES, Que. -- A Quebecer who was on a long-distance trek to raise awareness about suicide has died of apparent heart failure before being able to complete his tour.
Richard Lavoie was found Wednesday afternoon on a road in a town not far from Thetford Mines, about 100 kilometres south of Quebec City.
The 57-year-old Montreal-area resident was pulling a 150-kilogram cart and was hoping to walk more than 1,600 kilometres over three months.
Provincial police say they were alerted by a local citizen who discovered Lavoie's body sprawled on the road.
Lavoie was apparently motivated to undertake the tour following the suicide of Marjorie Raymond.
After years of bullying, the 15-year-old teen committed suicide in November 2011 in the Quebec town of Ste-Anne-des-Monts.
Raymond told her mother in a suicide note she couldn't endure the physical and psychological abuse any longer.
