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In early December, when they discovered Andre had stopped taking his medication for depression and anxiety, the Courtemanches had called the youth crisis line and their family doctor. The doctor had referred Andre to a psychiatrist six months earlier, when the teen said his medication wasn’t working. But by late December, as Andre’s mental health deteriorated, the family still hadn’t received a call from a psychiatrist. Denise pressed the family doctor to check on the referral. On Jan. 3, two days after Andre was last seen leaving his Cressida Crescent home and walking along the E & N rail line that abuts the backyard, the couple got a call about a psychiatric appointment in February. ....
GOLDSTREAM, B.C. As a memorial for Andre Courtemanche grows at the base of the Niagara waterfalls in Goldstream Park on Thursday afternoon, his family is saying goodbye, one last time. “Today is Andre’s funeral; it’s a heartbreaking day,” said Kirsten Marten, who is the spokesperson for the Courtemanche family. At the same time that the funeral was taking place, the Island Corridor Foundation was having a meeting with West Shore first responders and mental health stakeholders to discuss safety improvements to the Goldstream trestle. “We discussed everything, whether it be barriers, railings, fencing and nets, you know, basically everything was discussed,” said Chief Chris Aubrey of Langford Fire Rescue. “We need to make sure that whatever measures that are put into place are going to be effective.” ....
There have been five deaths at the Goldstream Trestle between 2016 and 2020, according to the B.C. Coroners Service. “We’re as broken-hearted about this as anyone else,” said Larry Stevenson, CEO of the Island Corridor Foundation. “It’s so bloody tragic.” Stevenson said he has reached out to the RCMP, the Langford fire department, the Ministry of Health and B.C. Parks to form a working group to come up with safety measures for the trestle. “I’m trying to put a group together to come up with solutions to mitigate this risk,” he said, adding that he hopes the discussion can take place as soon as possible. ....
“It’s not that it was suicide that took Andre’s life, it was depression that took Andre’s life,” said Kirsten Marten, who is speaking on behalf of Andre’s family as they grieve. Last week Marten set up the Searching for Andre Courtemanche Facebook page, which mobilized people across Greater Victoria to search for the missing teen. The family received a call on Jan. 4, three days after Andre was reported missing, about setting up an appointment with a psychiatrist to talk about Andre’s depression, Marten said. By that time it was too late. “It’s so heartbreaking that they had to wait that long and they’ve been fighting so hard to get help for Andre,” she said. “The system categorically failed him.” ....