SQ arrests truck driver, suspends officer
The Sûreté du Québec announced Saturday it has arrested a 57-yearold man linked to the traffic jam on Highway 13 on Tuesday that kept hundreds of drivers stuck for hours in a snowstorm.
The SQ said the driver, who has not yet been named, was arrested at his home Saturday morning. He was one of two truck drivers who the SQ says refused to co-operate with towing on the highway. It’s that decision that the police force blames, at least in part, for the crisis that led to about 300 vehicles getting stuck. The last ones were removed from the highway almost 18 hours later.
The SQ says it is still trying to identify the second truck driver involved.
The Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales will decide what charges to lay, but the SQ said they could include mischief and nuisance. The SQ said the driver was also subject to an Ontario arrest warrant, and would be handed over to Kingston police.
In a statement, the Teamsters union, which represents 4,000 truck drivers, said the two drivers were themselves victims of the “incompetence” of the Transport Department and should not have to pay for a highway that is insufficiently plowed.
The provincial police force has since relieved two officers who were in charge of the operations on Highway 13 of their duties, including one who was relieved on Sunday. The SQ did not release their names but they’ve been identified as a captain and lieutenant.
An internal investigation by the SQ continues, and the force says other disciplinary measures could be taken once that is complete.
The officers have been reassigned to administrative work while the SQ continues its investigation.