Sixty-One Names: Quebec Memorial Highlights Unending Cost of Impaired Driving

QUEBEC CITY, QC – June 03, 2026

This Saturday, in a solemn ceremony at Parc de l’Amérique latine, three new names will be engraved onto the Quebec Provincial Memorial for victims of impaired driving. Marie-Jade Kuncer, Jolyane Potvin, and Derek Godin-Rioux. Their addition brings the total number of names etched onto the monument to 61—a stark, growing tally of lives cut short by a preventable act. The annual event, hosted by MADD Canada (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), serves as both a heartbreaking tribute and a resolute call to action, underscoring the deep, unending chasm these tragedies leave in families and communities.

The Unending Echo of a Preventable Choice

The memorial itself is a work of profound symbolism. Three translucent panels stand along a broken line, a design meant to evoke a road shattered by a crash and the subsequent breaking of lives. For the families of the victims, this symbolism is a daily reality. The upcoming ceremony will honor the memories of Kuncer, Potvin, and Godin-Rioux, transforming their individual tragedies into a collective statement against the scourge of impaired driving.

"The heartbreak caused by impaired driving reaches far beyond the moment of the crash," said Tanya Hansen Pratt, National President of MADD Canada, in a statement. "Families carry that pain every single day — through missed birthdays, milestones and moments that should still be shared together. The memorial ceremony is a tribute to all victims and a reminder that impaired driving is entirely preventable.”

This sentiment is the core of MADD Canada’s mission. The organization frames impaired driving not as an accident, but as a violent, preventable crime. Each name added to the monument represents a choice made by an impaired driver that resulted in an irreversible loss. For the families left behind, the memorial provides a public space for remembrance, a tangible connection to loved ones, and a sense that their loss has not been forgotten. It validates their grief while channeling it into a powerful message of public safety.

Beyond Remembrance: A Monument as a Call to Action

While the ceremony is deeply personal for those who have lost loved ones, its purpose extends far beyond individual grief. The Quebec Provincial Memorial, and others like it across Canada, are strategically placed educational tools. They exist to confront the public with the human cost that lies behind the statistics.

And the statistics are staggering. Across Canada, an average of nine federal criminal charges and provincial license suspensions are handed out every hour for impaired driving. In 2022 alone, 521 people died in crashes involving a drinking driver, a 14% increase from the previous year. MADD Canada estimates the true number of annual impaired-driving fatalities is between 1,350 and 1,600—roughly four deaths every single day. Impairment remains the leading factor in fatal collisions in the country.

These monuments serve as a constant, silent protest against this ongoing public health crisis. By placing them in visible public parks, MADD Canada ensures that the victims are not just numbers in a report but remembered names in the heart of the community. The presence of local leaders, including Captain Charles Morneau of the Road Safety Unit and City Councillor Catherine Deschamps, at the Quebec ceremony underscores a shared commitment between advocacy groups, law enforcement, and municipal government to tackle this issue.

The Architecture of Grief and Awareness

Public memorials play a crucial psychological and social role in how communities process tragedy. They provide a focal point for collective mourning, allowing a shared experience of loss to transform into a shared resolve for change. For those directly affected, the physical act of visiting a memorial, seeing a loved one's name, and perhaps leaving a flower can be a grounding and essential part of the healing process. It externalizes grief and helps maintain a continuing bond with the deceased.

The location in Parc de l’Amérique latine is significant. The park is already a commemorative space, celebrating the ties between Quebec and other cultures. Integrating the MADD memorial into this landscape weaves the story of these victims into the broader civic narrative of the city. It declares that their memory is a part of Quebec’s public consciousness.

This approach transforms private pain into public awareness. It creates a space where the community can come together not only to remember but also to be educated. The monument serves as a powerful, non-confrontational tool that speaks to passersby, reminding them of the potential consequences of a single bad decision and reinforcing the message that everyone has a role to play in preventing impaired driving.

A National Fight with Local Frontlines

The Quebec memorial is one piece of a national strategy. Since 2009, MADD Canada has been establishing a network of similar monuments across the country, with memorials already in place from Newfoundland to Alberta. A new monument is set to be unveiled soon in Prince Edward Island, and the organization is working to establish one in British Columbia, completing a coast-to-coast chain of remembrance.

This network of physical memorials is the visible manifestation of a multi-pronged advocacy effort. The charitable organization is a powerful force on the legislative front, having been instrumental in pushing for significant changes like Bill C-46 in 2018, which introduced mandatory alcohol screening and tougher penalties for drug-impaired driving. The organization’s work is far from over, as it continues to advocate for lower legal blood alcohol limits, anti-impaired driving technology in all new vehicles, and better support systems for victims.

This work is complemented by extensive public awareness campaigns like Project Red Ribbon and youth education programs that reach tens of thousands of students annually. The top priority remains victim and survivor services, providing a lifeline of support—from court accompaniment to grief counseling—for the thousands of Canadians impacted by this crime each year. As three more names are added in Quebec City, the ceremony serves as a poignant reminder that for every name on a monument, there is a national organization and a community of supporters fighting to ensure no more names need to be added.