The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across Haldimand Beach as locals gathered at the yellow police tape, their faces etched with disbelief. Just 24 hours earlier, this popular summer destination on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula had become the site of an unthinkable tragedy.
A 77-year-old man lost his life Tuesday when a section of the cliff face suddenly gave way, unleashing a torrent of sand and debris onto unsuspecting beachgoers below. Provincial police confirmed the victim was sitting near the base of the cliff when the landslide occurred – a spot many locals and tourists had occupied countless times before.
“We’ve been coming to this beach for thirty years, and nothing like this has ever happened,” said Marie Cormier, a lifelong Gaspé resident who arrived Wednesday morning to place flowers near the cordoned-off area. “Everyone sits by the cliffs for shade in the afternoon. It could have been anyone.”
The Sûreté du Québec has identified the victim as a resident of nearby Cap-aux-Os, though his name hasn’t been released at the family’s request. First responders arrived within minutes of the collapse but were unable to revive him after he was extracted from the sand.
Municipal officials moved swiftly to close the entire beach, which stretches nearly two kilometers along the bay. Mayor Daniel Côté announced the closure would remain in effect pending a thorough geological assessment of the cliff’s stability.
“This is both a tragedy and a wake-up call,” Côté told reporters at an impromptu press conference near the site. “Climate change is accelerating erosion all along our coastline. What once seemed stable can become dangerous with little warning.”
Quebec’s Ministry of Public Security dispatched geologists to the scene Wednesday morning. Their preliminary findings suggest recent heavy rainfall combined with natural erosion processes may have compromised the cliff structure. The sandy composition of the Gaspé cliffs makes them particularly vulnerable to collapse when saturated.
This marks the third coastal landslide in eastern Quebec this summer, though the first to result in a fatality. Environmental scientists from Université du Québec à Rimouski have documented accelerating erosion rates throughout the Gulf of St. Lawrence region, with some coastal areas losing up to a meter of shoreline annually.
“What we’re seeing isn’t just normal erosion,” explained Dr. Antoine Leblanc, a coastal geomorphologist who has studied the Gaspé Peninsula for over a decade. “The combination of rising sea levels, more intense precipitation events, and decreasing winter ice cover is fundamentally altering our coastlines faster than many communities can adapt.”
For tourism-dependent Gaspé, the tragedy comes at the height of their busiest season. The region welcomes thousands of visitors each summer, many drawn to its dramatic coastal landscapes and accessible beaches.
Local business owner Jeanne Thibault expressed the community’s conflicted emotions. “Of course, safety must come first, but this beach is part of our identity. People are in shock – not just about what happened, but about what it means for our future here.”
Provincial authorities confirm they’re now reviewing safety protocols at several coastal sites across eastern Quebec. The Ministry of Tourism has issued a public advisory urging visitors to observe warning signs and avoid sitting directly beneath cliff faces.
“It’s difficult to predict exactly where and when these events might occur,” said François Roussel of Quebec’s civil security department. “But we can certainly improve public awareness about the risks and potentially restrict access to the most vulnerable areas.”
For the residents of Gaspé, the discussion has moved beyond this single tragedy to broader questions about coastal management in an era of climate change. Town council has announced a special meeting for next week to discuss long-term planning for their increasingly vulnerable shoreline.
Back at the beach, a small memorial of flowers and candles has appeared near the entrance. Among the mourners Wednesday was Pierre Fortin, who witnessed the collapse from further down the beach.
“It happened so fast – just a rumble and then a cloud of dust,” he recalled, his voice wavering. “We all ran to help, but there was so much sand. This place has always felt safe to us. Now we’re wondering what else might be changing beneath our feet.”
As authorities continue their investigation, Haldimand Beach remains eerily quiet, the empty stretch of sand a reminder of nature’s unpredictable power and a community forced to reckon with new realities along their beloved coastline.
