Canadian puddle splash van driver loses job By News from Elsewhere...

...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 30 July 2018

image copyright Youtube/Saif Khan image caption One of the van driver's victims gets drenched

A van driver in the Canadian city of Ottawa has been sacked after they were filmed repeatedly splashing pedestrians.

Contracting company Black & McDonald said in a Facebook post that the individual concerned is "no longer employed" with them after a video of their anti-social behaviour went viral, Canadian broadcaster CBC reports

A 45 second clip, filmed on a rear-facing dashcam, shows the unidentified driver veering into the kerb on a rainy day to drench pedestrians at least three times. At the very end of the clip , the company's logo is clearly seen on the side of the vehicle.

The video has been viewed over 750,000 times, and Black & McDonald subsequently made an apology for their driver's behaviour on its Facebook page.

It says: "We apologise to everyone impacted by the recent incident in Ottawa of unacceptable driving by one of our van drivers... This is an isolated incident and the individual is no longer employed with Black & McDonald."

A spokesperson also said the company had been co-operating with the police over the incident.

image copyright YouTube/Saif Khan image caption One that got away: The van goes to splash a pedestrian but misses

'Case closed'

According to the Ottawa Sun newspaper, the driver will not face any criminal charges , with police considering the driver's sacking being punishment enough.

"We consider the file now closed," Sgt. Mark Gatien told the press. "The outcome from the employer we feel is enough of a lesson learned for him and your readers and viewers."

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The company's quick response has been praised on social media, with one unemployed construction worker fuming over the lack of respect shown by the driver.

"They don't pay you to use their fleet vehicles to soak pedestrians," he said.

Reporting by Alistair Coleman

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