Walking into Kia Sherbrooke to shop for a new vehicle, Sonia Blais was not in high spirits.The special education teacher from Magog, Quebec had recently become a single mother of two, with a looming divorce sapping her finances, an expensive holiday season at her door and an already harsh winter blowing over her Eastern Townships home.But a new car is what she need, so after weighing her options, she picked out a Kia Soul, a stylish subcompact, delivered, of course, with Quebecs mandatory winter tires. She paid via a roughly $25,000 loan, with financing.The purchase also made Blais, unbeknownst to her, Kia Canadas one millionth customer, a milestone that coincidentally lined up with the Korean brands 20th anniversary in this country.Even more coincidentally, Kia Sherbrooke was among the brands first concessionnaires here, selling more than a handful of the first 1,417 Sportage and Sephias to hit Canadian shores back in 1999.When Kia head office rang dealership owner Daniel Beaucage, from Groupe Beaucage, over Blais new purchase, he assumed it was over a problem with the order. Not quite, it turns outBlais was invited back to the dealership with her millionième Kia for a little ceremony this past Thursday, hosted by the new VP and COO of Kia Canada, Elias El-Achhab.She figured out from that she was in for some sort of surprise. Beaucage and co-owner Tommy Morissette started off by announcing a list of $2,000 worth of options they wanted to gift her like a remote start to keep her warm, and a bike rack, since shes a frequent rider.Then El-Achhab interrupted the declaration: C’est nous qui payons votre Kia Soul, or We are going to pay your Kia Soul.Blais croaked out a Really? before starting to cry. Kia means it when it says its cars have the power to surprise.Morissette told Driving.ca that Blais really touched its sales representatives, and everybody at the dealership was so happy luck befell her in particular.She moved us with the work shes been doing for the past 22 years with learning disabilities kids, he said. She said she never won anything in her whole life, but now shes driving one of our vehicles her second Kia were going to take very good care of her, and her Soul.For those wondering if a million vehicles is a big milestone, consider that, these days, about two million new vehicles are sold in Canada every year.When Honda Canada celebrated its 50th anniversary March 2019, the manufacturer of Canadas best-selling car, the Civic, claimed just over four million vehicles
Origin: Kia Canada sells its 1 millionth vehicle in Quebec – and this customer gets her Kia Soul for free
Quebec
Trump administration sues California over its emissions deal with Quebec
Traffic jam in Los Angeles at sunsetGetty The Trump administration is suing California and its all our fault (although were not saying sorry). The lawsuit against the state, filed on Wednesday, is over an agreement California made with Quebec in 2013, to link the two governments via a cap-and-trade emissions-trading program.The U.S. federal government has been fighting with California over its environmental strategies for some time, and in this latest skirmish, said its because the agreement violates the U.S. Constitution, which doesnt allow states to enter into treaties or pacts with foreign governments.The state of California has veered outside of its proper constitutional lane to enter into an international emissions agreement, said Jeffrey Bossert Clark, Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division.The power to enter into such agreements is reserved to the federal government, which must be able to speak with one voice in the area of U.S. foreign policy. Californias unlawful cap-and-trade agreement with Quebec undermines the Presidents ability to negotiate competitive agreements with other nations, as the President sees fit, Clark said. Under the cap-and-trade system, companies that emit large amounts of greenhouse gas must purchase credits in relation to their pollution output. In Quebec, automakers are required to sell a specified number of zero-emission vehicles. If they do not meet the minimum, they must purchase credits, either from the provincial government or from other automakers with extras to sell.Unique among the U.S. states, California has the ability to set its own emissions standards that can be more stringent than the federal standards. This dates back to the 1970s, when the state was granted a waiver so it could clean up its smog.Other states can choose to follow either the federal regulations, or those of California which doesnt seem to make Trump, who has traditionally favoured businesses over environmental concerns, very happy.Quebec premier Franois Legault said he would prefer that California remain in the agreement, but that the program will continue in the province even if the state leaves. He also said other states have shown interest in being part of the program.California governor Gavin Newsom said Trump going after a five-year-old program is about a political vendetta against California, and that this latest attack shows that the White House has its head in the sand when the comes to climate change, and serves no purpose other than continued political
Origin: Trump administration sues California over its emissions deal with Quebec
These are the worst roads in Quebec, as ranked by CAA
Large deep pothole in Montreal street, Canada.Marc Bruxelle / Getty Earlier this year, nearly 21,000 Quebecers voted on what they felt were the ten worst roads in their province.Part of a yearly initiative by CAA to spurn various levels of government into road-fixing action, the organizations Worst Roads campaign seeks input from all road users, from cyclists and public transit riders to motorists.So buckle up and hold on to your poutine as we take a look at what the voters in CAA-Quebecs survey deemed the provinces most maddening macadam.The crew at CAA recognizes while every road listed deserves its spot in the top 10, dozens of others could just as well have made it into one of the top slots. Armed with the list, CAA-Quebec went to municipal and provincial authorities and asked them to make a pledge to repair the crumbling infrastructure, promising to report back on that progress. Spox for CAA assert that lists like these do often result in some form of roadwork, whether it be a complete repave or a hurried patch job. About eight months after last years list was published, one road was fully repaired while four more were currently under the steely gaze of a construction supervisor. Two more were on the provinces to-do list, meaning seven of the ten roads received attention less than twelve months after the list was written.Boulevard Gouin Est has been a perpetual habitant of these lists, having the dubious accomplishment of showing up every year since the lists inception. It landed in first spot this year, first spot last year, and somewhere in the top 10 at various other times. Running about fifty kilometres from Senneville in the west to Pointe-aux-Trembles in the east, it is said to be the longest stretch of road on the island. Work has started on it and will continue well into 2020.Here is the full list for those who wish to plug them into Waze as routes to avoid.Boulevard Gouin Est, Montreal Montée du Bois-Franc, Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard Chemin Craig, Lévis Rue Newton, Boucherville Boulevard du Grand-Héron, Saint-Jérôme Route 389, Côte-Nord Traverse de Laval, Lac-Beauport Chemin Cadieux, L’Ange-Gardien Chemin Saint-Henri, Mascouche Rang Saint-Martin, Saguenay Drive safe, kids and watch out for the
Origin: These are the worst roads in Quebec, as ranked by CAA
Quebec Road Rage video on Facebook: They should have called the police…
A video of a severe instance of road rage sparked between two Quebec drivers last weekend was captured on video and is now going viral on Facebook.Last Saturday afternoon, while traveling on the A-40 through LAssomption in Lanaudire, passenger James McKinnel spied some dangerous driving and got out his phone to record what was happening.In those 60 seconds, punctuated by cries of Les esties de jambons! The f**$ing hams! viewers can witness a white Volkswagen Jetta and a black BMW X3 engaged in some reckless manoeuvers on the traffic-dense highway.The video hit the news and found its way to the Sret du Qubec communications office. But it was nothing new, there. Spokesperson Capitaine Paul Leduc says every week the provincial police receive at least one video, if not two or three, involving reckless driving.In Quebec, said offense is subject not only to a $1,500 minimum fine and up to 20 demerits points enough to lose your drivers license but is also subject to criminal sanctions.If that road rage case would have caused a fatal accident and this one was very near to becoming a multiple-collision, says Capitaine Leduc these drivers might have been kept off the streets for a while, and faced up to 10 years of imprisonment.But although theres video proof of these actions and the license plates are easily recognizable, Sret du Qubec cant pursue the file. Without a confirmation of who was behind the steering wheel at the time the owner? Their kids? A thief? it cant investigate, nor send a summation. It means last weekends road rage video will go nowhere, besides on your relatives Facebook Wall unless the amateur cineaste lodges an official complaint and is willing to testify in court about what he witnessed.Only then would police officers have several means to catch these offenders, starting with images from surveillance cameras. In extreme situations, a reconstruction team could be called in to prove, for example, that this or that vehicle was traveling at such and such speed.When you see something like this, call the police. Dial 911 or *4141 and give us the details, emphasize Capitaine Leduc. At this point, we would have sent a patrol car and we would have asked Transports Quebec to turn its cameras toward the action. And believe me, there are a lot of those cameras in Montreals highway belt. We would have been able to collect videos needed for legal proceedings.There is one caveat, of course. Dont put yourself at risk, says Capitaine Leduc. We dont want you to cause an accident while trying to avoid another
Origin: Quebec Road Rage video on Facebook: They should have called the police…
At these “realistic” dates, Quebec motorists should be driving on winter tires
October is LGBT History month, as well as, internationally, Breast Cancer Awareness month and, in Canada, Autism Awareness month. The second-last week of October is Canadian Waste Reduction Week. And this Friday, October 4 is World Smile Day.If CAA-Quebec get its way, Canadians in one province will celebrate another special week at the very start of October its lobbying to declare those seven days Quebecs official Winter Tire Appointment Week.Really? Yes, really, came the reply from the Canadian Automobile Associations Quebec division. Between the labor shortage and the new earlier legal deadline for winter tires (December 1), theres likely to be a mad rush on garages that do tire changes, the organization recently wrote. So the smart thing to do is to take care of it now!CAA-Quebec is not saying motorists should swap their summer rubbers for a set of winter tires right this minute. No, its just telling the owners of the provinces 5.2 million passenger vehicles that now is better than later to book a rendezvous with their mechanic shop. So when specifically should you book that appointment for? We asked The Weather Network and its meteorologist Andr Monette was able to provide realistic dates when drivers in Canadian major cities should make their summer-to-winter tires swap (i.e. when the average temperature drop below the magic 7 C).QuebecKuujjuaq: September 25 Sept-Îles: October 20 Val-d’Or and Saguenay: October 25 Rimouski and Gaspé: October 30 Quebec City, Gatineau and Sherbrooke: November 5 Montreal: November 10 Maritimes and LabradorSaint-Jean: November 7 Fredericton: November 9 Charlottetown: November 10 Moncton: November 10 Sydney: November 12 Halifax: November 12 Goose Bay: October 14 OntarioTimmins: October 26 Thunder Bay: November 1 Sudbury: November 2 Ottawa: November 9 Kingston: November 11 Toronto: November 15 Windsor: November 21 West and PrairiesChurchill: September 24 Yellowknife: September 27 Whitehorse: October 9 Saskatoon: October 27 Edmonton: October 28 Regina: October 29 Winnipeg: October 30 Kelowna: November 9 Prince Rupert: November 16 Vancouver: December 11 Victoria: December 17 Youre already too late if your hometown is Kuujjuaq, but know that for Montreal, November 10 is halfway between the average date of the first snowfall (October 28) and that of the first real accumulation of 5 cm or more (December 3), says CAA-Quebec.Oh, for those who think the first snowfall determines the right time to swap, heres a little news for you: the temperature actually determines when, and the magic number is 7 C.Heres why: Summer or four-season tires start to harden and gradually lose their grip when the mercury drops below 7 C, says Pierre-Serge Labb, CAA-Quebec Vice-President, Automotive Services. These realistic dates, proposed in consultation with The Weather Network, are the dates when the average daily high is below 7 C for each region in Quebec.But remember this: Because those dates are an average, they are the latest you should wait to install your winter rubbers. And now that the summers heat is no longer threatening our costly winter tires, theres no harm in trading them a few weeks earlier.Ask Calgary, just for fun, if there’s a too-soon moment to have winter tires on your
Origin: At these “realistic” dates, Quebec motorists should be driving on winter tires
Road restrictions for military-type vehicles: Quebec is backing off
It came last month in the form of a letter sent by Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to 550 owners of original Hummers, Bombardier Iltis, Steyr-Puch Pinzgauers and Mercedes-Benz Unimogs:Because those military-type vehicles are designed as Quebec alleges as off-road vehicles, they dont comply with the Highway Safety Code, therefore they could no longer get a regular Je me Souviens registration.That affects recent model-year military-type vehicles, but also those with an antique status (15 years or older, in Quebec).Rather, those military-type vehicles would have to wear the C plate, meaning they would not be allowed anymore on:Quebec roads with a speed limit higher than 70 km/h; All Quebec highways, no matter the speed limit. Basically, the military-type vehicles wouldnt be allowed on almost all provincial roads.And they wouldnt be authorized on Autoroute 520 Cte-de-Liesse and Autoroute 15 Decarie in Montreal, nor on Autoroute 740 Robert-Bourassa in Quebec City suburbs, simply because these are considered highways even with their posted speed limit below 70 km/h.They were going to be totally banned…If Quebec was to rule this way, it would be the only Canadian province with such restrictions for military-type vehicles.But it could have been worse: The actual Quebec Highway Safety Code (article 21) forbids anybody from putting a vehicle into operation on a public highway () if it has been restricted to off-highway use by its manufacturer or importer.This provision was going to be enforced as a total ban on military-type vehicles from La Belle Provinces roads, but the Ministre des Transports du Qubec ushered in, by mid-July, a semi-less-dramatic arrêté ministériel, to be enforced this past 22nd of August.The news was brought to military-type vehicles owners by official SAAQ letters they received between mid-August to end of August. The communication, for which Driving.ca was able to get a copy, stated this: Upon verification, we received confirmations that their manufacturer, or importer, has restricted the use of these (military-type vehicles) for off-road use.Then: We invite you to visit one of our service points to get a new license plate and a new registration certificate. () We remind you that it is forbidden to drive with () and that you could, according to the Highway Safety Code, be liable to fines.Cost of those fines: $200-$300 plus fees (no demerit point).550 owners or… 3000?The (first) problem is, theres six times more military-type vehicles licensed in Quebec than what the government estimates, assesses Philippe Raymond, who is trying, with his fellow members from the Club Véhicules Militaires du Québec, to defuse the bomb.Why such a gap with official numbers?Because the SAAQs data base doesnt have a checkbox for military vehicles, says Raymond. And Ive been told that when they searched with keywords Jeep for the Willys and Dodge for the M37, they got all those other models Grand Cherokee, Wrangler, Caravan, Ram So they excluded Jeep and Dodge.For now.The second problem? As you can imagine, when 550 or 3000 people are told they cant drive their passion as freely as before, you see them stepping to the barricades.In our research for this story, we learned that some are daily commuting with their military-type vehicle to work or to pick up the kids at school.Some use them as emergency vehicles to help in natural disasters or search and rescue operations, as seen on this Amateur Radio Operator Bernard Giguère’s Facebook Page.Others are driving them to the campground or the chalet, on roads that my Mazda3 wouldnt be able to overcome, says Philippe Raymond.Ultimately, this resident of La Capitale Nationale, owner of a 1990 Humvee and a 1985 Bombardier Iltis (bought directly from the neighbouring Canadian Forces Base ValCartier), is planning a back-and-forth trip across Canada with his 4 teenagers next summer.But: If things stay as they are, it means I wont have a problem driving across the country but Ill have one when leaving Quebec!Stepping to the barricadesSo, those military-type vehicles owners are stepping to the barricades, especially since the Transport Quebec Minister, Franois Bonnardel, declared that the decision came after suppliers informed his government of potential dangers with these vehicles, in the event of an accident.Not true, maintain the owners interviewed by Driving.ca who, incidentally, are in constant communications with AM General and other military-vehicle manufacturers and distributors:Forget about that, Militaires are known to never give any information! blurts Vincent Simard, who owns a military-vehicles restoration shop in Lévis.Philippe Raymond confirms: I contacted the worlds three largest vehicle manufacturers. The three provided me with official documents from their engineering department stating that their vehicles were designed to run on any type of road and highway, but they have off-road capabilities adapted to military requirements. In
Origin: Road restrictions for military-type vehicles: Quebec is backing off
Quebec doubles the fines for speeding in school zones
Each year when school starts up again, police and school boards remind motorists to slow down and pay attention in school zones.PNG Archive Maybe you didnt know, but last year Quebecs Highway Safety Code (HSC) went under a major revision the biggest since the creation of the Société de l’Assurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ) some 40 years ago.Among the 80 new provisions of the Code de la Sécurité routière:Imposed curfew and passenger-limit on learners; Increased penalties for using electronic devices while driving; Increased fines for not wearing a seatbelt; New rules for cyclists, who now have to stop for a school bus with flashing lights, too. Even pedestrians get some attention: Quebec municipalities can now designate a shared street, giving pedestrians full priority anywhere they want to walk while cars are limited to 20 km/h.The revised HSC didnt forget about winter tires: Mandatory in La Belle Province for the last 10 years, they will have to be installed two weeks earlier, with December 1 now the have-them-on date. (The de rigueur period still ends the 15 of March).Speeding in School ZonesOtherwise, almost all of the 80 new Quebec road rules already went into effect between April 2018 and now, with the most recent being this one: from August 1, fines are now doubled for speeding in school zones during school hours. Its very much like how the law doubles fines in construction zones when workers are present in some regions (such as Ontario), although in Quebec, as well as in British Columbia, those fines are ALWAYS doubled for those who speed through construction zones.What are the school hours in Quebec? When not indicated on an indecipherable sign, they are from 7 am to 5 pm, every day of the week, from September to June, stated the Ministre des Transports du Qubec (MTQ).We would love to tell you that in enacting this law, Quebec became the best province in Canada for ticketing speeding in school zones. In Ontario, fines are not specifically doubled in school zones; they are, though, in the community zones designated by municipalities, which could include said school zones.And while British Columbia doesnt specifically double the fines in school zones, the max penalty for speeding in those areas, as well as around playgrounds and in construction zones, are higher period. They can reach $483, plus three points on your license. If you add the legal fees always involved but specific to each province, then the consequences from demerit points or penalty zones or risk premiums or whatever you call it get pretty severe as they should be. What are the penalties?Here are some scenarios we gathered for you in case you speed in Quebec school zones now that kids are back in school and that Article 516.2 is en vigueur.However, note that the fines may double during school hours but not the demerit points and, curiously, some fines are still well below those imposed for texting while driving in Quebec ($300 to $600 and five points) or even passing a school bus with flashing lights ($200 to $300 and nine points):10 km/h over the limit: $35×2 = $70* (0 points) 15 km/h over the limit: $45×2 = $90* (1 point) 20 km/h over the limit: $55×2 = $110* (1 point) 25 km/h over the limit: $90×2 = $180* (2 points) 30 km/h over the limit: $105×2 = $210* (2 points) 35 km/h over the limit: $155×2 = $310* (3 points) Higher speed brings the offender in the Grands excès de vitesse zone, so the following fines applied are not doubled:40 km/h over the limit: $350* (6 points) 50 km/h over the limit: $480* (10 points) three times the limit: between $630 and $1,230* (up to 18 points — enough for a license suspension) And if your Excessive Speed violation is a repeat one? The fourth infraction could reach $3,000*, with so many points the speeder will be forbidden from driving for a long time.But if were looking for the harshest penalties, in Arizona, criminal speeding (i.e. exceeding 35 mph near a school crossing) will strip you of your drivers license, get you a $500 fine and will put you in jail for 30 days.*Fees not
Origin: Quebec doubles the fines for speeding in school zones
Quebec mother, daughter charged with drunk driving within hours of each other
Officer Kevin Millan from the City of Miami Beach police department arrests a woman after she failed a field sobriety test at a DUI checkpoint December 15, 2006 in Miami, Florida. According to police, the woman failed a breathalyzer test by blowing into the device and receiving two readings one at .190 the other .183, which is twice the legal limit in Florida. Police east of Montreal arrested a 50-year-old woman for driving under the influence on Sunday as she came to bail out her daughter who had been arrested on a similar offence just hours earlier.Magog police say the two women had their licences suspended for 90 days and were released on a promise to appear at the courthouse in Sherbrooke, Quebec.Police say officers responding to a call about a car stopped along the side of a main road found a 27-year-old woman allegedly under the effects of alcohol.She was arrested and taken to the police station but refused a breathalyzer test, which added to the charges she faces.When the young womans mother arrived at the police station to retrieve her daughter about 1 a.m. Sunday, police noted she too seemed under the influence of alcohol.The mother failed a breathalyzer and was also arrested for impaired driving.Magog is about 125 kilometres east of
Origin: Quebec mother, daughter charged with drunk driving within hours of each other
These are the best vanity plates we’ve seen in Quebec
Meanwhile, others prefer heavier stuff, in a nice way to bypass the seven-caracter rule.Montreal Vanity Plate Spotting / Facebook Let’s remind ourselves of what happened Friday, June 27, 2018 — the day SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec) launched its new vanity plates and online ordering service: In less time you needed to shout Finally!, the website crashed. That’s how eagerly Quebec drivers were waiting for personalized plates. Once the website was back online the following Monday, no less than 12,000 vanity plates were ordered in just 48 hours for $250 each, plus an annual renewal fee of $35. You think that’s cheap, versus the $310 personalized plates cost in Ontario? Remember that in Quebec, there’s only one plate showing off on our vehicles. After nine months, the rhythm is a lot slower. From August 2018 to this past April, a total of 26,661 personalized plates have been granted by the SAAQ. Our arithmetic shows after the initial boom, more or less 1,500 vanity plates are ordered every monthin Quebec — 82 per cent by men, confirms the SAAQ. Still, since the beginning, it means $7.5 million of revenue for Quebec. And this income would have hit $8 million, if five per ceont of the requests haven’t been refused. Indeed, some 1,381 demands were rejected since the seven characters allowed on Quebec’s plates: Can’t be obscene, scandalous, abusive or offensive, so you won’t see any variant of the F-word, or in French, SALAUD Can’t express sexual ideas, disregards for road safety, or promoting a criminal offence. Forget about ISPEED, 2FAST, FASTER and SNIPER Nor they can’t be a trademark or a “distinctive” name Or can they? Let’s see what we found on the Montreal Vanity Plates Spotting group on Facebook.
Origin: These are the best vanity plates we’ve seen in Quebec
Road Trip: Touring Quebec ski country in a Nissan Pathfinder
The Gilles Villeneuve Museum in the F1 driver’s home town of Berthierville has received almost 300,000 visitors since it opened in 1988. Pictured here with a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder. Story and photos by Sarah Staples, Insta: @itravelnwriteSarah Staples Skiers are finishing their last runs of the afternoon when my husband calls to say his flight to Mont Tremblant International Airport has touched down. I’ve driven up with the kids from Montreal, and we meet in the pedestrian square of Tremblant, an all-season sun/ski resort in Quebec’s Laurentian Highlands. I’ve organized a Gilles Villeneuve Tribute Road Trip: we’re visiting three rural towns rich in Villeneuve lore – Mont-Tremblant, Berthierville and Trois-Rivières – on a deep-dive into the life and legend of Quebec’s Formula One hero. My ride, a 2019 Nissan Pathfinder, ticks several must-haves for family road-tripping, starting with a roomy interior to really stretch out in. Its 3-row/7-passenger configuration with a flat-floor design yields a ton of trunk space (enough to fit my two big Yeti coolers, plus duffel after duffel of clothing, outdoor layers, pillows, boots, camera gear, you name it). In mid-April, the weather’s warm yet there’s still plenty of snow. It’s nearly après-ski hour so we join the crowds clicking out of bindings and filling outdoor patios of the resort’s restaurants and bars. Classic rock pipes from loudspeakers, and families lounge on Muskoka chairs in the sunshine. It’s a perfect time for a relaxed ski vacation – and motorsport fans will appreciate the area’s rich racing history and events. But of course, every winter trip to Tremblant starts with skiing or snowboarding in mind. At Snow School early Saturday morning, Louise Dalbec, our instructor, takes it slowly and patiently. I haven’t skied since I was a kid and it’s my children’s first lesson. In just two hours, my 10-year-old, Tyler, feels ready to leave the bunny hills so we head up to the Nansen, Tremblant’s longest and oldest run, open since 1938. He’s tentative at first, falls a bit, but quickly gains confidence. A light snow is falling, too, licking our faces. My son is having a blast on the first ski day of his life and I get to share that memory with him. Priceless. Sunday, our family takes a guided snowmobile tour along Le P’tit Train du Nord, an old network of train tracks whose rail ties were removed, converting it into 232-km of all-season trails. Snowmobiling was invented in Quebec, and in the early 1970s, Gilles Villeneuve was winning races across North America. One of his sleds, a red, souped-up Alouette, was painted lucky Number 13 like his Ferrari would be. With each win, he’d earn enough prize and sponsorship money to sign up for the next race – Villeneuve was truly betting on himself with every chip he had to pursue his passion for speed. He’d later credit his preternatural car-control skills to those early years cornering on ice at 115 km/h. Monday morning, it’s time to load up again. The 2019 Pathfinder is fully kitted out with conveniences to make long drives more enjoyable – like a remote starter that can be activated by mobile app or smartwatch, and a nifty button on the driver-side door handle that locks the vehicle so you don’t need to fumble for a key-fob. It takes no time or effort to sync my smartphone to a well-equipped infotainment console. There’s also iPod integration, and six standard USB type-C and type-A ports in various locations. This mid-size crossover yields the spaciousness and comfort of a larger SUV – yet for all its size, it’s still remarkably easy to park. Something else I’ve noticed is smooth steering. On Mont-Tremblant’s hilly, winding roads, it proves crisp and highly responsive. There’s no chasing the turn with this Pathfinder. We drive past Circuit Mont-Tremblant – where Villeneuve earned his road-racing license and entered Formula Ford and Formula Atlantic series events – on the way to Berthierville, population 4,700, where the racer grew up. It’s the location of the Gilles Villeneuve Museum, which opened six years after his death on May 8, 1982, during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. “We wanted his museum to be simple, like Gilles was,” explains director-general Alain Bellehumeur, and indeed, the collection feels very intimate. Along with Villeneuve’s snowmobiles and early race cars, there are oil-stained racing gloves, hand-painted helmets and rare posters, family and trackside photos, and dozens of trophies on display. The museum has welcomed 300,000 visitors from at least 30 countries, and a $750,000 expansion is planned to accommodate more memorabilia that fans and family members have been dropping off for years. Once, a Ferrari mechanic came and pointed to himself in a rare photo taken with Villeneuve in the pits at Zolder. The Quebecer would die moments later after colliding with Jochen Mass’s car at 225 km/h. Bellehumeur’s favourite museum pieces include an F1 trophy used as a
Origin: Road Trip: Touring Quebec ski country in a Nissan Pathfinder
All about car 