Laval police and emergency dispatchers are reviewing their procedures after a mother says her call for help was ignored.
On Monday afternoon, Chantal Desrosiers was buckling her 15-month-old son into his car seat while the child played with her car keys.
She took the keys from him, tossed them in the front seat, then shut his door, and only then realized the child had managed to lock the car doors.
Scared, Desrosiers ran into the Fabreville daycare and screamed for help.
The daycare's owner, Josee Lefebvre, called a taxi service thinking they might be able to offer assistance, but when they put her on hold, she hung up and called 9-1-1.
Lefebvre says the emergency dispatcher did not take her call seriously, and seemingly failed to realize that leaving a child in a car in 32 degree temperatures was dangerous.
"I was so mad," said Lefebvre. "I was so, so mad because they are supposed to help us. They're supposed to stay on the line with us until it's finished and to be sure that the baby didn't need any help."
Ultimately, Lefebvre's husband smashed one of the car's windows with a hammer, and the child turned out to be fine.
Laval police say they are investigating the phone call to determine if the dispatcher did not understand what was happening, or if their protocols need to be changed.
