The St. Laurent Boulevard OC Transpo facility has been spotlighted in coverage by CTV News Ottawa.
Tragedy struck the Ottawa community as OC Transpo announced the death of a man discovered on one of its buses during the early hours at the St. Laurent bus garage. The unsettling incident occurred when an OC Transpo employee stumbled upon the individual around 1 a.m., prompting the involvement of Special Constables, who, as part of standard procedure, were called to assist the person in reaching their destination or accessing necessary services.
Upon their arrival, the Special Constables found the individual unresponsive, initiating CPR until Ottawa Paramedics arrived at the scene. Despite resuscitation efforts, the adult male was declared dead. The Ottawa Paramedic spokesperson revealed that the call originated as a report of a man experiencing cardiac arrest at the St. Laurent garage.
The discovery was made by maintenance workers during routine post-service procedures on an inactive bus. Clint Crabtree, President of ATU Local 279, disclosed, "It was brought back to the depot, and the staff that runs the buses through washing and fuelling, one of the staff members from maintenance found the individual."
Ottawa Police, particularly the Criminal Investigations Section, are actively looking into the matter. At 1:00 a.m., officers responded to the 1500 block of St. Laurent Blvd., where the lifeless body was located on an OC Transpo bus. The police are awaiting an update from the Coroner's Office as part of their ongoing investigation.
In response to the incident, OC Transpo closed the St. Laurent garage for several hours overnight to facilitate the police investigation. Renee Amilcar, Transit Services General Manager, assured that alternative arrangements were made for bus parking and refuelling during this period, and normal bus services resumed the following morning.
Expressing condolences, Amilcar conveyed, "The entire OC Transpo team is saddened by this incident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the individual." The City of Ottawa, in collaboration with OC Transpo, has initiated an internal investigation, with details yet to be disclosed.
