MONTREAL — Two people are in critical condition after being pulled from Montreal’s Lachine Canal late Saturday night.

According to Montreal’s fire department, one person fell into the canal and the second entered the water in an attempt to help.

The department says it received the initial call just before midnight and conducted a joint search with the Canadian Coast Guard using three boats.

Fire officials say sonar equipment eventually helped locate the two people, who were then transferred to the care of Urgences-santé, Quebec’s ambulance service.

A spokesperson for the ambulance service, Steve Macduff, says both were taken to hospital in critical condition.

The case comes as Quebec’s water safety organization is calling on the province’s next government to permanently fund its school swimming program and strengthen drowning prevention efforts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2026.

— with files from Quentin Dufranne in Montreal

The Canadian Press