The entire CUPE family is sending out its thoughts and sympathies for the victims of Friday’s tragic bus crash in Ottawa which took the lives of three people and injured dozens more. In particular, we are thinking of Bruce Thomlinson, Judy Booth, and Anja Van Beek, the three public service workers who were killed in the collision, as well as their families and loved ones.

We want to express our gratitude to all those who bravely responded to this tragic event as it unfolded, including paramedics in CUPE Local 503, transit police and supervisors in CUPE Local 5500, and hospital workers in CUPE Local 4000. Their efforts in this time of crisis comforted the afflicted and helped prevent this heartbreaking event from worsening any further.

We also send our best wishes for a fast recovery to those injured in the crash, and to the broader Ottawa community in this moment of grief and bereavement. Let us come together and comfort each other through this difficult period.