Commemoration to mark the first anniversary of the Quebec daycare bus crash

Balloons will be released Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of a bus explosion outside a Montreal-area kindergarten, killing two young children and injuring six others.

The commemoration will take place in the park near the Garderie Éducative Sainte-Rose in Laval, where the tragedy occurred on February 8, 2023, when a city bus veered off the street and roared down the entrance of the kindergarten during the morning rush hour. – rest period.

Five-year-old Maeva David and four-year-old Jacob Gauthier died in the crash, and six other children were hospitalized.

Pierre Neu Saint-Amand, a former city bus driver, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as seven other charges, including attempted murder and aggravated assault.

A preliminary hearing is set for March, and New St. Amand's attorney said he plans to argue that the 52-year-old lacked the criminal intent necessary for first-degree murder.

The kindergarten asked people not to leave flowers or stuffed animals outside the building, but instead to donate to the foundations of the hospitals that treated the victims, Cité de la Santé in Laval and Saint-Justin Children's Hospital in Montreal.

STL does not run bus 151

As a mark of respect for the families, the Société de transport de Laval (STL) says it will not be running its 151 bus in Sainte-Rose on Thursday.

“The management of the respective day care center has asked the STL to maintain a distance from the scene to show respect to those who wish to pay their respects,” the public transport authority noted. “That's why we decided to turn the chain around.”

STL says instead, a shared taxi service will be offered to passengers throughout the day.

The affected bus stops are located on the Terrace Dufferin between Boulevard Saint-Rose and Rue Jacques-Cartier.

— This Canadian Press report was first published on February 8, 2024.