'When someone knocks on the door, we let them in,' Raphal Andr's mother tells Quebec coroner

Suzanne Chemaganishstruggled to comprehend how her son,Raphal Andr,who had faced the winter out in the woods with his parents could succumb to the cold in the "big city" of Montreal.

That's what she told Quebec CoronerStphanie Gamache, in Naskapiwith the help of a translator, Wednesday, in the third week of thepublic inquiry into Andr'sdeath.

The 51-year-old fromthe Matimekush-Lac John community in northern Quebec was found dead on the morning of Jan. 17, 2021, in a portable chemical toilet after he was denied entry into two different homeless shelters, in part due to COVID-19 restrictions at the time.

The cause of death was hypothermia, according to a pathologist who testified in May.

"It's cold in my community. When someone knocks on the door, we let them in and welcome them so they don't stay out in the cold," saidChemaganish, who referred to Andr by the name Napa Raphal, as he was known to those in his home community.

Since her son's death, she's spent a lot of time thinking about the children and women in her community and of ways to prevent them from falling into vulnerable situations, she told the coroner tearfully.

There should be more services for people experiencing homelessness and more attention given to their comfort, she said after talking about her visit to a shelter frequented by Andr where she saw folding beds with no sheets.

"It's not just about eating and sleeping," added Andr's brother, Ghislain, who accompaniedChemaganishat the inquiry. "We need to help people [get out of homelessness]."

Gamachesaid the inquiry has given her a lot to reflect on so far and that she hopes it could help "us progress as a society."

Chemaganishalso spoke about the warming tent that was erected in CabotSquare later in the winter of 2021 in Andr's memory, whichChemaganishsaid made her happy.

The tent has recorded 128,221 visits from people getting away from the cold, according to Gamache.

"It shows just how much there is a need but also just how much Raphalhas had an impact on people," she said.

There were 4,690 people experiencing homelessness in Montreal in 2022, according to the latest datacommissioned by the Ministry of Health and Social Services.

"Montreal is big. How is it that we can't find enough shelters," saidChemaganish.

She finished her testimony by thanking the coroner for inviting her and giving her the opportunity to share.

She thought she was alone, she said.

The inquiry is taking placeat the Longueuil, Que., courthouse, and is scheduled to last until June 14. It will hear from public health authorities, professors andpeople who work with the homeless, among others.