Operation Nez Rouge ends prematurely in Quebec with COVID-19 crisis

Operation New Rouge will not be providing rides this holiday season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Operation Nez Rouge announced Tuesday the premature end of its drive-home service in Quebec. It was supposed to last until Dec. 31.

In a news release, management pointed out that in this atypical year, the volunteers and the team of Operation Nez Rouge are very proud to have escorted thousands of Quebecers to safety after their festive evenings.

Volunteers were back on the road this year in more than 20 regions of Quebec after having been forced to take a break in 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Operation Nez Rouge has been part of the Quebec landscape since the mid-1980s. The organization has since spread its wings to other Canadian provinces.

By 2019, more than 50,000 Quebec drivers had been safely returned home.

When Operation Nez Rouge teams are able to operate, they offer drivers who are unfit to get behind the wheel due to impairment a ride home in return for a financial contribution of their choice to be donated to organizations dedicated to youth development and amateur sport.

- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Dec. 21, 2021.