Buses stop in Laval for minute of silence Wednesday in honour of daycare crash victims

Bus drivers across the Montreal region stopped their vehicles simultaneously Wednesday morning to observe a minute of silence in honour of the victims of last week's deadly daycare bus crash.

Bus operators working for transit agencies in Laval, Montreal and Longueuil stopped driving at exactly 8:24 a.m. to pay their respects.

The gesture was held one week to the day that two young children were killed after a city bus rammed into the Garderie Éducative Ste-Rose, a daycare on Dufferin Terrace in Laval's Ste-Rose district. Six other children were sent to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

"The event has upset bus drivers in Laval, in particular, and bus drivers everywhere in general. To see one's work vehicle cause such a tragedy is appalling," said Dominic Aubry, an official from the FTQ-affiliated CUPE union that represents transit operators, in a news release Tuesday. 

"Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and the workers at the daycare."

Police have so far not identified a motive for the crash that prosecutors allege was a deliberate act.

The driver, 51-year-old Pierre Ny St-Amand of Laval, was arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of first-degree murder and seven other charges, including aggravated assault and attempted murder.

In recent days, the two kids killed in the crash have been identified as Jacob Gauthier and Maëva David, both four years old. A funeral service for Gauthier is scheduled for Thursday at a local church where vigils have been held to mourn the tragedy that has shaken the community.

Last week, elected officials, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier François Legault, paid their respects by visiting the church and meeting with the daycare staff and others affected by the crash.