Family members of the victims of a weekend helicopter crash in Quebec said their loved ones were celebrating a birthday before the tragedy struck.
Four people died after their helicopter crashed in Ste-Brigide-d’Iberville, 50 kilometres southeast of Montreal, said provincial police on Saturday.
“A helicopter ride that was supposed to celebrate my wonderful mother’s birthday turned into a tragedy that I never could have imagined,” wrote Océane Perreault on social media. “Lives can be altered in a fraction of a second. We never know when it might be our turn.”
She lost her mother, Chantal Raymond; her brother, Loucas Perreault; and her partner, Gabriel Jasmin, in the crash. The pilot, Suzanne Jutras, was also among the victims.
Océane Perreault and Jasmin have a one-year-old daughter.
“On Sept. 26, a part of my world flew away to heaven,” wrote Perreault. “I have no words to describe the pain, the shock and the emptiness I feel. Three people I love more than anything are gone far too soon, right before my eyes.”
Jasmin was a radio host for a Bell Media station in Quebec’s Eastern Townships region. The FM radio station, Énergie 106.1, shared the news of Jasmin’s death on Sunday in a social media post. The station offered its condolences to Perreault, the couple’s daughter and Jasmin’s family, friends and colleagues.
Martin Perrault, Raymond’s husband, remembered his spouse of close to 40 years on social media.
“We built a life, a family and so many memories together,” he wrote.
He expressed his pain at losing his son — “my pride, my successor” — and his son-in-law — “an extraordinary father, attentive and loving.”
“I miss you all so much already,” he wrote.
In posts and comments, Jutras was remembered as a passionate and talented pilot.
“Thank you for lifting us into the air with your kindness,” wrote Les Félixeries, a festival in the nearby Centre-du-Québec region, in a Facebook post remembering its “favourite pilot.”
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said his department was monitoring the situation and would appoint an observer to follow the investigation.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” he wrote on X.
The investigation was ongoing Monday, said a spokesperson for provincial police, who did not provide further details. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada told The Canadian Press in an email Monday that investigators were on-site over the weekend and were still gathering information.
The Quebec coroner’s office is also looking into the events leading up to the deaths, a spokesperson said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2026.
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.