Public statement from Police Chief Charles Bordeleau on fatal collision

The Ottawa Police Service continues its role of supporting the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) in its investigation and providing support to and contacting next of kin of victims.

Ottawa Police Service (OPS) members have secured the scene, are conducting witness interviews and collecting evidence along-side the TSB in order to assist in determining the cause of the collision.

The OPS will defer all questions about the investigation to the TSB.

Our Victim Crisis Unit is working with the Office of the Coroner on next of kin notifications and has been working to comfort families who arrived at the Nepean Sportsplex looking for information. Three of the six victims have been identified and we are now contacting their families.

The identification and notification process is difficult. It takes time and out of respect for the victims’ and their families it is important that we get this right.

More information will be provided to the public regarding the six deceased as soon as we are able to do so.

This event has touched us all – from police members to firefighters to paramedics to OC Transpo staff – and there is still a great deal of work to do.

This is a difficult day for everyone in our city.

A tragedy like this affects so many people in our community. I know our thoughts are with the victims, the injured and the families, friends and loved ones who are suffering today and trying to make sense of this event.

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