Laurier Palace Theatre fire

The projectionist, Émile Massicotte, got thirty children away from the locked exit into the projection booth, then passed them out a window onto the marquee above the sidewalk, whence they descended fireman's ladders.

There was never a released official cause for the fire, with Law [clarification needed] and his employees claiming the children in the theater were lighting matches to see under the seats.

During the homily, Father Georges Gauthier, co-archbishop of Montréal, wondered whether entertainment should be allowed on Sundays and suggested that children be barred from cinemas.

In 1967, the cinema law was further modified, setting up a motion picture rating system that divided the movie-going population into age groups of 18 and over, 14 and over, and general (for all).

There are a large number of songs based around the fire with the singer Hercule Lavoie singing about the fire with the words: «Il fallait des anges au paradis Des chérubins aux blondes têtes Et c’est pourquoi Dieu vous a pris Votre bambin, votre fillette, Consolez-vous, séchez vos pleurs Ils sont heureux dans un monde meilleur Il fallait des anges au paradis C’est votre enfant que le Ciel a choisi.» Which, in English, translates to: "There was a need for angels in Heaven Of blonde-haired cherubs And that is why God has taken you Your little boy, your little girl, Take comfort, dry your eyes They are happy in a better world There was a need for angels in Heaven It was your child that God chose."