Surete du Quebec to increase patrols during the construction holiday

A Surete du Quebec police car is seen in Montreal on July 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Quebec provincial police announced it will increase its patrols starting this Friday for the start of the construction holiday.

The police presence will be boosted on the roads, but also on the trails and around bodies of water.

The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) reports that the construction holiday period is a time of year when the number of fatal and injured collisions is particularly high. In 2022, during this period, 12 people lost their lives in 11 collisions that occurred on the roads monitored by the SQ.

One of the fatal collisions involved an off-road vehicle.

Data cited by the Sûreté du Québec indicates that approximately one-third of Quebecers are off work during this period, which means more people are on the road.

The SQ informs the public that they can keep up-to-date on various police operations during the construction holiday by visiting their social media accounts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 20, 2023.