Bus route 151 will resume its “regular route” in Laval on Friday. Motorists will therefore once again use the roundabout where almost seven months ago Pierre Ny St-Amand allegedly did the unthinkable by driving into a daycare center, taking the lives of two children and injuring six others.
Published at 10:44 am. Updated at 11:59 a.m
This was confirmed earlier in the day by the Société de transport de Laval (STL). In particular, in the Sainte-Rose district, customer notices were distributed for several days announcing the resumption of services from September 1st.
The bus route in question was originally scheduled to resume in June, but parents mobilized by sending a petition to the Laval municipal council, which had already received hundreds of signatures online. They called for the resumption of regular service on line 151 to be postponed until the fall and recalled that the trauma for their children and for them was still too fresh.
After some discussion, the STL finally agreed to postpone this resumption until September. Drivers were then temporarily ordered to take a detour to avoid passing the Sainte-Rose daycare center.
The transport company states that it has “considered several scenarios in recent months to operate route 151 differently, namely to prevent buses from driving in front of the daycare center”. But “the narrowness of the surrounding residential streets and the technical problems of maneuverability of the buses, especially in winter conditions, do not allow us to propose a revised route,” says spokeswoman Anne-Sophie Harrois.
She claims that certain customers who live north of the train line and the daycare center have “been severely affected by the suspension of bus services for several months.”
“We remain very sensitive to the events that occurred last February, which deeply shocked us all. We made sure to inform the daycare center in advance about the return to regular operations. Our drivers have also been made aware of this resumption and prepared,” explains Ms. Harrois.
Postponement of proceedings
The mayor of Laval, Stéphane Boyer, spoke in writing on Friday of a “difficult situation that we want to address with the necessary sensitivity”. “Even today, we are still tormented by the pain that our community feels. […] My thoughts are now with the daycare center’s large family and the STL staff,” said the elected official.
In late August, the defense and the Crown jointly requested another stay of trial in the case of Pierre Ny St-Amand, the bus driver accused of driving to the Sainte-Amand daycare center. Pink. Evidence is still missing. Reports and document analyzes must still be prepared by police investigators and the Crown.
Mr St-Amand’s case is due back in court on September 26.
With Lila Dussault, La Presse