On Sept. 21, firefighters responding to a fire discovered the body of 77-year-old Paul Thibideau inside a mixed commercial and residential building at the corner of Mont-Royal Avenue East and St-André Street in the Plateau-Mont-Royal neighbourhood.

Brandon Gagnon, 28, an unhoused man who was reportedly seeking warmth at the time, has been charged with manslaughter in connection with Thibideau’s death. The case is scheduled to return to court in February.