Citizens call for signs to warn of dangers of falling asleep in damaged car, as a man was found dead in his car, in Gatineau, after accidentally poisoning himself with carbon monoxide.

Benjamin Richard - Local Journalism Initiative

“It doesn’t cost that much to get your muffler fixed, it's stupid, you get it fixed, you live, you don’t fix it, you might die. Look, that’s what happened with him!” As Pascal Laflamme, the friend of the deceased, points out, it's important to have your vehicle repaired if you hear a strange noise or a vibration in the exhaust system. It was a broken muffler, explains Laflamme, that poisoned Zachary Clavelle-Gauthier last week in a parking lot on the banks of the Ottawa River.

The latter was trying to keep warm in his car during the night, unable to afford housing with the ever-rising cost of rent. “They should put some [signs], so the people can see; “Oh, I’m gonna shut up the car, we have to” [...] they get the ticket, that’s it that’s all, there shouldn’t be no warning for that, it’s death.” Laflamme understands some people's need to keep warm in their cars overnight, but hopes the city will highlight the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning this can cause.

“Perhaps we should also have reminders of not leaving your car idling if you’re parked, but then the person who wants to stay warm at night, they’re gonna do what they have to and they’re desperate, so the housing crisis is at the root of all this”, explains Mike Duggan, Pointe-Gatineau district councillor, who understands the importance of raising awareness, but wants to keep parking use as is for now. “And it’s at the municipal level that we have to kind of manage the incidences such as this that occur, and we do what we can within our limited authorities and limited means.”