Raphaël Bussières told his parents he planned to stay in Victoria over Christmas, but his mother secretly hoped he was planning to surprise them at home in Quebec.
Instead, Stéphanie Lachance and Nicolas Bussières flew to Victoria this week after learning their son had died after he was stabbed on Douglas Street in the early hours of Nov. 26.
The 20-year-old had gone out that night to play pool with friends. They were grabbing a bite at McDonald’s when a stranger approached them.
It’s still unclear what led the man to stab Bussières in the neck, but Lachance said it was random and unprovoked. Bussières was taken to hospital, but died two days later.
Bussières, who grew up in St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, southwest of Quebec City, had spent the past three summers working in the hospitality industry in Tofino.
He fell in love with the West Coast and “wanted to see the whole world,” his mother said.
He first travelled to B.C. in 2014 with close friend Frédéric Jobin, who said he was amazed at Bussières’s outgoing personality and how easily he made friends.
One night in Vancouver, Jobin, Bussières and another friend got tattoos as a memory of their summer. Bussières had the scales of justice tattooed on his calf.
While most friends returned to Quebec at the end of each tourist season, Bussières this year decided to move to Victoria to work in a restaurant.
He had only been in Victoria a month, Lachance said.
In his car, he had a picture of his three younger sisters — ages six, nine and 13 — and various gifts they had given him.
Lachance said she and her son were very close, talking several times a day on the phone and via text message.
“He was the kind of guy who tried to see the good in everyone,” she said. “Raph was always smiling.”
Bussières was very bright, Lachance said, skipping to a higher grade twice during his school career. He was taking time out to work and decide what university program would be best, considering philosophy, law or psychology.
“He loved to learn, he was a really hard worker,” Lachance said.
Bussières also loved to sing and play music, listening to hip- hop and writing lyrics. Lachance, her husband, Jobin and his parents all had tickets to see Danish singer Agnes Obel perform in Quebec City on March 1. Bussières was planning to come home for the show.
Jobin said he admired Bussières’s drive and knew his friend was “going somewhere big.”
“He knew where he was going and he had a great mental force,” Jobin said. “Raph was really stable and he always kept me on track — he gave me tricks to stay positive.”
Lachance said the family is planning a funeral, trying to find a venue that will accommodate all of Bussières’s friends.
A 27-year-old man, Justin Michael David Carte, has been arrested in connection with the death. He is charged with aggravated assault, but Crown counsel will upgrade the charge to manslaughter or murder now that Bussières has died. Carte’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 19.
