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CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
City outlines next steps on driver cameras and other bus crash inquest recommendations
The City of Ottawa says it will examine the potential installation of driver-facing cameras on OC Transpo buses, following a recommendation from a recent coroner's inquest into a fatal 2019 bus crash. The nearly month-long inquest in April delved into the circumstances of a packed double-decker bus slamming into a Transitway shelter on Jan. 11, 2019. Three passengers — Judy Booth, Bruce Thomlinson and Anja Van Beek — died in the crash and many others were injured. While the city accepted civil responsibility, the driver, Aissatou Diallo, was charged with 38 counts of dangerous driving causing death or bodily harm. She was acquitted of all charges in a judge-only trial in 2021. Diallo did not testify at either the inquest or her trial, but an OC Transpo official told the inquest that if a driver-facing camera had been on board Diallo's bus, more would be known about her actions in the lead-up to the crash. The jurors ultimately issued 60 non-binding recommendations, two-thirds of which were directed at the city. They included a call for Ottawa to "install operator-facing cameras on all OC Transpo buses to be used for safety purposes." "This data should be regularly tracked by an accountable member of the governance team," the jurors added. Adjusting current cameras The city has now provided its initial response to the recommendations, with "a comprehensive status update and action plan" to follow later this year. City staff agree with the idea of operator-facing cameras on all OC Transpo buses, adding that "a robust policy/program will be developed" similar to the one that already exists for cameras on OC Transpo's federally regulated LRT line. But installing cameras could bring "significant budgetary pressures," the city warned councillors ahead of the next meeting of Ottawa's transit committee on Thursday. "In order to develop a response to this recommendation, research will need to be completed, a robust policy must be drafted, all relevant stakeholders and unions must be consulted, and a technical analysis ... will need to be undertaken. Once all of these steps have been completed, the costs can be presented for consideration through the budget process," the city said. One option, according to the city's initial response to the recommendations, could involve adjusting existing CCTV cameras on all buses purchased since 2016 so that they offer a wide-angle view that would include the driver. Just over 350 of the buses in OC Transpo's fleet currently have CCTV cameras, the city clarified with CBC via email, while the remaining 382 buses do not have onboard cameras. "Staff are currently assessing the feasibility of utilizing the current CCTV camera system to address the inquest recommendation or determine if a new camera system is required," according to the city's email. Union concerns Cost aside, the notion of driver-facing cameras on buses has sparked privacy concerns with the local union representing OC Transpo drivers. When lawyers made their final pitches to the inquest jury, Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 279 was the only group to oppose driver-facing cameras on buses. However, in an interview with Ottawa Morning the day after the jury issued its recommendations, ATU Local 279 President Noah Vineberg clarified the union's position. "Privacy always becomes an issue, but that does not trump safety," Vineberg said. "As long as [the use of camera footage is] properly monitored, as long as there's an agreement in place on how those systems are going to be used, and if it's in the lens of safety ... then ATU 279 doesn't stand in the way." The city said its plan "will ensure appropriate protections for employees' privacy." Consultations on LRT cameras took several years, the union's lawyer told the inquest. Negotiations on a new contract for OC Transpo drivers have begun and have involved discussion of video footage, Vineberg said via email. More days of retraining The inquest jury also recommended that a portion of OC Transpo's bus fleet be dedicated to training drivers. City staff said they support this idea in principle but that given the current shortage of buses, the recommendation can't reasonably be implemented without significant impacts to service. "It is expected that a stable, reliable fleet will not be fully available until Q4 2027," according to the city's response to the recommendations. The inquest heard that after she was involved in a preventable and serious collision in December 2018, Diallo received only one day of refresher training before being put back on the road. Within a week, she was involved in the fatal Transitway crash. "How quickly after a previous incident she was back behind the wheel — that was really kind of astonishing to me," said Laura Shantz, a member of the advocacy group Ottawa Transit Riders. The jury recommended the city establish a separate evaluation procedure for probationary operators involved in serious preventable collisions, and that before the driver returns to service they receive a minimum of five days of retraining. Aspects of this recommendation are currently in place, according to the city, but staff will review the recommendation and report back to the transit committee later this year. The committee will meet Thursday to discuss the city's initial inquest response and other agenda items starting at 9:30 a.m.
Ottawa Citizen
01-05-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Westboro bus crash inquest calls on OC Transpo to apply 'safety lens' to decisions
An inquest jury has called on OC Transpo to filter every decision about buses, infrastructure and training through a 'safety lens' to protect passengers from the kind of accident that killed three people in January 2019. Article content Article content It was one of 60 recommendations the five-person jury issued Thursday at the conclusion of the month-long inquest into the Westboro bus crash. Article content Article content The jury also recommended OC Transpo install driver-facing cameras on all buses (to ensure drivers are not distracted by phones or other devices), assess new drivers for proficiency on double-decker and articulated buses, conduct annual safety inspections of the Transitway to identify potential hazards, and dramatically improve retraining for probationary drivers involved in serious, preventable collisions. Article content Article content The jury further recommended OC Transpo reduce to 30 km/hr the speed at which buses approach Transitway stations until it removes or modifies bus shelter canopies at seven stations, or constructs barriers in front them to deflect wayward buses. Article content A similar, rigid shelter canopy at Westboro Station cut into the second deck of Bus 8155 on Jan. 11, 2019 with devastating results. Article content Article content Article content The jury was tasked with investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths of three passengers – Bruce Thomlinson, 56, Judy Booth, 57, and Anja Van Beek, 65 – and making recommendations to prevent similar deaths. Article content Inquest juries are prohibited from assigning blame, and their recommendations are not binding on the organizations involved. Article content City of Ottawa lawyer Anne Tardif said OC Transpo has embraced a safety culture during the past six years. 'Put simply,' she told jurors during the inquest, 'OC Transpo is not the same organization today that it was in 2019.' Article content OC Transpo, she said, has introduced a chief safety officer, a data-based analysis of driver performance, and a new screening process to weed out driver applicants with unsuitable psychological profiles. Article content The transit service has also increased the amount of time trainees receive behind the wheel of double-decker and articulated buses, she said. Trainees now receive a minimum of eight hours of road training on both double-deckers and articulated buses. In the past, drivers received as little as two hours of such specialized training.
Global News
28-04-2025
- Global News
Coroner's jury begins considering recommendations in Ottawa bus crash inquest
A coroner's inquest into a fatal Ottawa bus crash in 2019 is coming to a close as the jury begins considering recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future. The inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Judy Booth, Bruce Thomlinson and Anthonia Van Beek. All three died after a double-decker bus operated by OC Transpo hopped a curb and struck a shelter at the Westboro transit station on Jan. 11, 2019. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The jury heard evidence over the last three weeks from many witnesses, including transit safety experts and officials from Transport Canada, the Ontario transportation ministry and the City of Ottawa. Various parties in the inquest made their final submissions on Friday, and the jury received their deliberation instructions from the presiding officer this morning. Coroner's inquest juries do not assign blame or make findings of legal responsibility in a case, but they are expected to determine how the deaths occurred and may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths. Story continues below advertisement
Ottawa Citizen
26-04-2025
- Ottawa Citizen
Westboro bus crash inquest hears 44 safety recommendations
The Westboro bus crash inquest jury has heard 44 recommendations for improved bus safety in Ottawa, including a call to reduce speed limits near Transitway stations and to assess new drivers for proficiency on all bus types. Article content Article content The jury was presented Friday with a joint slate of recommendations from inquest counsel, the City of Ottawa and the bus drivers' union, along with the families of Bruce Thomlinson and Judy Booth. Article content Article content Thomlison, 56, Booth, 57, and Anja Van Beek, 65, were second-floor passengers on Bus 8155 when the double-decker slammed into Westboro station on Jan. 11, 2019. Article content Article content Article content Rookie driver Aissatou Diallo was driving 10 km/ hr over the 50 km/ hr posted speed limit on approach to Westboro Sation when she veered off the road and lost control of her bus on the snowy shoulder. Article content Inquest participants jointly recommended the speed on approach to Transitway stations be reduced to 30 or 40 km/hr. Article content Jurors have heard three passengers died and 17 others were seriously injured when the rigid steel awning of Westboro Station's passenger shelter pierced the shell of Bus 8155 and collapsed nine rows of seats. Article content 'What is without dispute,' inquest counsel Alessandra Hollands said Friday, 'is that Ms. Booth, Mr. Thomlinson and Ms. Van Beek, along with all passengers on Bus 8155, should have been able to get to their destination safely.' Article content Article content Hollands told jurors its their role to determine what can be done so that other transit riders in Ottawa arrive at their destinations safely. Article content The joint recommendations stopped short of calling for existing Transitway shelters to be torn down. Article content Instead, the participants recommended the city assess the Transitway for 'potential intrusion hazards' that are within three metres of the curb. Article content The inquest has heard that seven Transitway stations still have passenger shelter canopies similar to those at Westboro Station. Westboro Station itself has been torn down to make way for the LRT.
Global News
25-04-2025
- Global News
Ottawa bus crash inquest coming to a close, jury to consider recommendations
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook A coroner's inquest into a deadly Ottawa bus crash in 2019 is coming to a close, with the jury expected to soon begin their deliberations. The inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Judy Booth, Bruce Thomlinson and Anthonia Van Beek. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy All three died after a double-decker bus operated by OC Transpo hopped a curb and struck a shelter at the Westboro transit station on Jan. 11, 2019. The jury heard evidence over the last three weeks from many witnesses, including transit safety experts and officials from Transport Canada, the Ontario transportation ministry and the City of Ottawa. Various parties in the inquest are making their final submissions today. The inquest jurors are expected to determine the manner of death in each case and they also may make recommendations aimed at preventing similar deaths in the future.
