HAILEYBURY — Approached from the south, the road to the Haileybury courthouse takes a long and winding route. Snow is sparsely covering the ground as Highway 11B passes through Coleman, Cobalt and North Cobalt, and everywhere you look, winter is around the corner.

While locals in these blustery towns in Northern Ontario usually share their thoughts and predictions about the impending winter weather this time of year, this fall has brought up a different, much more difficult topic of conversation — a heinous act that the OPP is investigating. intimate partner violence (IPV) – this left them fighting for the life of one of their own.

Everyone knows everyone here. “Southerners” stick out like a sore thumb in these parts. Whether at the gas station or near the street where the victim’s memorial service was held Sunday, everyone you encounter assumes you’re in town for a court date and the first word out of their mouth is “Kaylie Smith.” More than a week after the attack, they say it remains a major topic of discussion in these towns and beyond.

Kaylie Smith remains in stable condition at CHEO in Ottawa The 16-year-old girl is supported by her family, who have asked for privacy in the early stages of her recovery; It’s actually a long and winding road.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Philippe Gagnon faces his own difficult road as his case moves through the preliminary stages of the judicial system. There is currently a publication ban. Smith family and friends identified Gagnon as Smith’s ex-boyfriend. Gagnon’s trial was postponed for two weeks to keep him behind bars.

A healthy, rotating group of supporters held signs and chanted slogans outside the Haileybury Courthouse in sub-zero temperatures Tuesday morning. Everyone in attendance expressed shock at the violent attack and vowed to continue returning to protest the defendant’s imprisonment.

He stopped yelling and shouted, “Justice for Kaylie! No bail!” “Domestic violence is no joke,” said Kailey Kennedy, waving a banner that read. “Having been there and seen firsthand how scary people can be. No joke. Not really.

“To see this little girl grow up – and she’s so sweet. She’s so sweet. I was the big sister to all her friends, and to see this little girl go through something so terrible at such a young age is such an overwhelming feeling. It’s ridiculous and this shouldn’t have happened. My heart goes out to her.” It’s breaking.”

Carol Kennedy said she spoke to Kaylie Smith on the phone at the memorial service in Cobalt on Sunday.

“I just want to say that I was able to talk to him on the phone for a few minutes and I was very impressed. He’s a very strong kid, very strong.”

A third Kennedy — Grace — spoke eloquently on behalf of the group in the video above.

Kaylie Smith’s friend Kessie Pellerin was one of the first to attend the protest and was outspoken about the need for IPV perpetrators to be locked up.

“We need justice to be served for what happened to him. No one deserves what happened to him, especially for all these terrible events. He needs to be put in prison and he needs to be reassured that he doesn’t have to worry about this happening ever again.”

Pellerin said he was in contact with his dear friend.

“He’s fine. He’s completely traumatized. He had blunt force trauma to his head and only had 16 hours of brain surgery. He had about 12 hours of plastic surgery on his hands. He can’t get that feeling out of his mind.”

At 6pm on Sunday, November 3, Temiskaming OPP were called to the scene of the attack. Police said a vehicle struck the girl after she got off the bus at the intersection of Upper Helen Street and Prospect Boulevard near Highway 11B. and starts walking home after a shift at work.

According to the OPP statement, “The investigation revealed that an 18-year-old male driving a sport utility vehicle struck a 16-year-old female walking along Helen Street. The male then exited the vehicle and attacked the victim with a sword.” .

The girl suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital before being airlifted to Ottawa by Ornge.

“The rapid response of local residents and witnesses to the incident stopped further attacks on the victim,” police said.

In addition to serious head injuries, the victim’s family said his left hand was completely severed from his body and his right hand was severely cut with a bladed weapon, which police determined was a sword.

The suspect, from Haileybury, was handed over by his mother and is charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and breach of a conditional sentence order in connection with the attack.

A family spokesperson confirmed that the victim was the suspect’s ex-girlfriend.

The Temiskaming OPP Crime Unit is continuing the investigation under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch.

Family member Paige Smith, Kaylie’s cousin GoFundMe page over $97,000 was raised for the sacrifice and by 1,300 donors toward the $100,000 goal.

“First of all, we want to thank the first responders, doctors, nurses, witnesses, and everyone else who helped get Kaylie the care she needed so quickly, as it absolutely made a huge impact on her survival. We also want to thank the community, Donors, cries and the many people who have reached out to help and support Kaylie and her family in the wake of such a disgusting and horrific attack.

“We want to let people know that Kaylie is still stable and the doctors, nurses, staff and family are completely in awe of her strength, resilience and determination. She remains in intensive care and we are not allowing visitors at this time. As for her recovery, no one knows how this will progress, it is too early , this is a journey that will take Kaylie months, if not a lifetime, to heal and overcome.”

If you want to send an encouraging note to the family, there is an email account where you can send hopeful messages; email address: (email protected).

—With files from Jeff Turl