The captain of a yacht who used to take people on tours of the St. Lawrence River is on trial before a jury at the Montreal courthouse, where he is charged with criminal negligence causing the death of a Colombian tourist.
While delivering an opening statement to the jury that will hear the trial of Jean-Pierre Alarie, 63, of Pointe-Calumet, prosecutor Sylvie Dulude laid out a chronology that alleges the accused was reckless not only while he took 20 people on a tour on July 6, 2024 — when William Eduardo Santander de la Hoz, who was vacationing in Montreal, went overboard — but had been flouting maritime safety rules before the tragedy took place.
The tour that included Santander de la Hoz cost the group a total of $1,800. It launched out of the Old Port.
Dulude said several passengers on the yacht consumed alcohol before they boarded and many, if not all, were not wearing life jackets. The toilets on the yacht were not working. Alarie and members of his crew were not trained in lifesaving methods required on boats that take on passengers.
Jean-Pierre Alarie, who ran yacht tours out of Montreal, is accused is criminal negligence causing death. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
“Jean-Pierre Alarie allowed his passengers to bring alcohol on board (his yacht),” Dulude said. “At the start, the cruise went well — without incident.
“On the return, William Eduardo Santander de la Hoz was at the back. There were already two other passengers at the back who were urinating off the boat. While he was at the back of the boat, he fell in. He was not wearing a life jacket.”
Dulude said one of the passengers advised Alarie that someone went overboard. The captain turned his yacht around to look for his passenger and could not find Santander de la Hoz. The captain called for help and a search was done by the Montreal police and the Coast Guard throughout the night.
“The Montreal police noticed that many of the passengers were under the influence of alcohol that night,” Dulude said.
The body was found three days later. Someone spotted Santander de la Hoz’s body floating in the St. Lawrence near a park in Montreal and called 911.
Two weeks before the tragedy, on June 22, the Longueuil police intervened in an incident involving Alarie’s yacht on the St. Lawrence, Dulude said.
The captain allowed his passengers to swim in the river without life jackets.
“Because of the strong current, the passengers were taken away by the river and Alarie jumped in in an effort to hand them life jackets,” the prosecutor said.
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Longueuil police officers came to the rescue and one warned Alarie that what he did was dangerous.
The day before Santander de la Hoz went overboard, a representative from Transport Canada communicated with Alarie to inform him that what happened on June 22 near Longueuil was under investigation and that he could no longer give tours because his permit was no longer valid.
On July 18, the yacht was inspected and several safety violations were found, Dulude said.
“The prosecution will provide you with evidence to prove Jean-Pierre Alarie did not act like a reasonable captain on July 6, 2024. We will prove that, after June 22, 2024, contrary to the advice given by (a Longueuil police officer) — to not give tours — Jean-Pierre Alarie continued giving tours,” Dulude said, adding Alarie allegedly ignored an order to have his yacht inspected before his passenger died.
“We will prove that Captain Alarie gave his tour without having on board floatation vests in sufficient numbers for the number of people he had on board.”
Thirteen witnesses are expected to be called by the Crown during the trial.
Alarie has pleaded not guilty.