Regional transportation:$ 25, 000 for his sick son

Photo courtesy
Felix Abbot-Deslauriers, now deceased, has had to travel from the Gaspé to Quebec city for treatment.
His mother, Véronique St-Pierre fights for parents and patients in the regions have better conditions.

Stephanie Gendron

Thursday, 25 January 2018 00:00

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Thursday, 25 January 2018 00:00

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SAINT-SIMÉON | A mother mourning the loss of the Gaspé peninsula, including the son of 11 years died of cancer, has spent $ 25,000 for two years to accompany him in his treatment to Quebec. She fights for parents and patients of the regions travel in better conditions.

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Véronique Saint-Pierre, Saint-Simeon, is well placed to know how the distance and the little help offered to the people of the regions may affect the health and finances.

In less than two years, she has made nearly 20 000 km, spent $ 25,000 in gas, meals, hotel, and parking, of which only $ 5,000 has been reimbursed by the government.

His son Felix, The Abbot-Deslauriers fought two cancers for a few years. He had to go often at the CHUL in Quebec city for his treatments in paediatric oncology.

These are thousands of dollars more than a family of Quebec, who lived the same drama had not to pay, ” she says.

“We had eight hours to do each time, and sometimes after two hours, I begged him to stop for the night because he had pain,” recalls the mother of the boy who died. She felt unfairly treated.

Families of Quebec, met on the square and even doctors had empathy for them and were affected by their situation. “They didn’t believe it. They said : “It’s scary, you have something more to suffer !” “

In his honor

In honor of his son, a boy concerned about the justice that wanted to be a lawyer or minister of Health, she continues to advocate for better support for people who live, as she is such a situation.

“It is necessary to tag the right with the plane in some cases or include more people in the policy for there to be more people who receive support. That there is an equity between the regions, ” said the mother bereaved.

Véronique St-Pierre adds that she has been helped by her community.

“In the region, it is common for fund-raising in circles. But I tell myself it is as if people from the Gaspé peninsula or the people of the North Shore were paying twice for their health care. They pay the same tax rate in Quebec and it is necessary to hand over money in fund-raisers to help their fellow citizens “, she notes.

Ms. Saint-Pierre has launched a petition asking, among other things, a significant increase of the lump-sum payment to compensate for costs and the expansion of terms to include other users.

Expenses reimbursed to the patients of remote areas with cancer

• Repayment of the least expensive option
• Airfare, bus or train (and that of his attendant, if medically required) or $ 0.13 per kilometre by car
• The fee for the “hostelries cancer” and the shelter recognized by the department shall be reimbursed
• If there is more room in those types of hosting, $ 75 per night is reimbursed, to a maximum of two nights per trip.

Carpooling is wrong with the bus

Photo Courtesy Of Amigo Express

Every day, approximately 1000 transport are offered on the web platform Amigo Express.

The passengers from the regions who need to travel in major centres is increasingly turning to car-sharing because it is less expensive and more simple, especially with the advent of social media, the desperation of the carriers by buses that have to find solutions.

Mylène Roberge manages the page Facebook for Carpooling in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region for the past ten years. She has more than 17 000 members, a number that is constantly rising, note it.

From 17 December to 13 January, she identified about 70 publications a day from people offering or asking for a transport, especially for Montréal or Québec city.

For a route Rouyn-Noranda to Montréal, it costs about $ 60 round-trip in order to share the costs of gasoline, compared to almost $ 200 for the bus.

Photo David Prince

François Bar, regional director of the division bus to Bus Maheux, tries to cope with the trend to car sharing is on the rise.

Not to be alone

“People of several social classes use the page. There are even times that do not require anything, who just want to have someone to accompany them because they don’t like to do the route alone, ” said Ms. Roberge.

The web based platform of carpooling Amigo Express, which covers the whole of the province, each day about 1000 departures. 70 000 subscriptions in 2011, the organization increased to nearly 500 000 in 2017.

“The bus we perceive as a great competitor, but this is not our goal. We help people to move. Our main competitor, these are the people who are organizing themselves, via social networks and classified ads “, said Félix Proulx, product director for Amigo Express.

The bus react

Car-sharing does hurt the carrier by bus in the Abitibi region, Autobus Maheux.

“We lost a lot of customers on our line of Montreal, mainly because of the availability of carpooling, with all the platforms that exist, says Francois Barrette, regional director of the division bus to Bus Maheux, who is trying to cope with it. We now have access to a platform for the electronic sale, which allows us to do promotions and increase our volume. “

Another carrier, Intercar, offers promotions to stand out.

“Amigo Express is my biggest competitor, at the level of the students. I offer a product that is a buying mass, by buying at a cost of 10 or 20 trips, it brings us back to $ 20 as the passage between Quebec city and Saguenay. For a parent also, it is much more safe, ” said Vicky Morin, executive assistant at Intercar.

Orléans Express attempts to draw its pin from the play by recalling that it offers Wi-fi, the judgments in physical locations, power outlets, space for luggage and professional drivers.