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The family of an 11-year-old boy who was fatally struck while riding his bicycle in Quebec City’s Beauport borough is calling off its plans to install a ghost bike in his honour this weekend, citing hateful messages they received.
The announcement came from the father of 11-year-old Alex Côté, who died in June.
While he did not cite or share the comments he says were sent to the family, he announced pulling back from installing a ghost bike in a post shared on Facebook, just days ahead of the planned event.
“We want to ensure this moment remains a positive and respectful gathering and not a source of division,” wrote Dominic Côté.
He said his family’s intention behind the planned bike was “full of love,” with hope it could help sensitize people to the dangers of cycling in the area while honouring their son.
The event was planned with Souliers et vélos fantômes Québec, which helps families create bike memorials — otherwise known as a vélo fantôme — to mark the spot of a fatal accident with a white bike.
Côté said the family will find the right moment for the memorial moving forward.
Speed bumps installed on des Sablonnières Avenue garnered comments from people directed at the family, according to Mathieu Murphy-Perron, a member of Souliers et vélos fantômes Québec. (Radio-Canada)
‘What more do you want?’
The crash involving Alex happened this summer, near the intersection of des Sablonnières Avenue and Raymond Boulevard. Emergency crews found the 11-year-old cyclist in cardiac arrest and rushed him to hospital, where he later died.
Alex’s death renewed calls from parents and road safety advocates for stronger protections in residential neighbourhoods where children walk and cycle every day.
Mathieu Murphy-Perron, a member of Souliers et vélos fantômes Québec, is directly in touch with the Côté family and says he saw some of the hateful comments directed at them.
While he did not want to detail the contents of the messages, he called them “wildly inappropriate.”
There were people who took issue with the ghost bike itself, he said, citing safety concerns and how people might venture near the installation to see it, causing pedestrians to walk near traffic, he says.
“Concerns that I think are a little unfounded. We’ve never seen that in Montreal, despite the fact that there are a great number of ghost bikes installed here,” he said.
Others wrongly said the new speed bumps on the site of the accident were installed because of the death of the 11-year-old, says Murphy-Perron — but he notes the safety measure was planned before the accident.
“Some people were just saying you know, ‘Haven’t you had enough, look there’s speedbumps now. What more do you want?'” he said.
Never in 13 years of supporting grieving families has the organization seen such a wave of hatred directed at the loved ones of someone who passed away, he said.
Quebec City mayor ‘profoundly outraged’ by situation
Mélanie Sauvé, city councillor of the Sainte-Thérèse-de-Lisieux district and member of the Respect Citoyens municipal party, said the family postponed the event as they “didn’t want things to spill over.”
She says she’s been in touch with the Côté family at least once a week since the incident and reiterated the need for residents to learn how to coexist.
The news of the cancelled ghost bike installation prompted Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand to share a post online — saying a dozen residents and drivers were mad and chose “insults over compassion.”
“I am profoundly outraged by this situation,” he said, adding that he offers his support to the family and will continue his efforts to ensure the safety of children and residents.
Manon Carignan, a mother of two who lives near the intersection, says “there is a line that cannot be crossed when we think of parents who are grieving.”
She says the boy’s death reinforced the need for change on des Sablonnières Avenue — which she says drivers have long treated as a thoroughfare, even though the street is surrounded by schools, a busy park and young families.
“It has been years and years that residents here have been asking for a sidewalk, to share the road between pedestrians, cyclists and cars,” she said.