Ottawa bus-train crash memorial should be ready by winter, councillor says

A memorial to honour the worst bus crash in Ottawa's history should be installed "before the snow flies," according to the councillor who represents the area where the crash occurred.

The crash between an OC Transpo bus and Via Rail passenger train killed six people, including the bus driver and five passengers, two years ago Friday in the south Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven.

The City of Ottawa will not hold a memorial or tribute this year to mark the Sept. 18, 2013 crash because the victims' families requested privacy, Barrhaven councillor Jan Harder said.

However, a six-piece memorial designed by a local architect will soon be built at a corner of the Fallowfield Park and Ride. Each section will honour a victim, Harder said in May.

An official announcement about the memorial's installation is expected next month.

As two years pass since the crash, many of the survivors and families of the five bus passengers who died moved to file lawsuits against the city, as well as against Via Rail and the bus driver's estate.

As of Wednesday, 32 lawsuits were filed total, but lawyers had until Friday to file a lawsuit before the deadline kicks in.

We also learned on Thursday the final report on the crash from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada should be released to the public by the end of 2015.