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There has also been confusion around when and what exactly to say about the event itself, and how to formulate our reactions and concerns in the bizarre environment of media and politics we all inhabit.

More recently, with the conclusion of the “technical” investigation by Ottawa police, the charging of the driver Aissatou Diallo, and the public launch of the new LRT system, our confusion has been refocused into more pointed questions. These include questions about why the City of Ottawa and OC Transpo were cleared of criminal wrongdoing, whether there are “non-criminal” forms of wrongdoing for which they are accountable, how standards of accountability have been maintained in investigating and addressing the culpability of the City of Ottawa and OC Transpo, whether there will be subsequent actions taken to address issues we thought were obvious, and finally whether a similar incident is possible in the future due to a lack of accountability and action taken in the wake of the crash.

When on Aug. 23 the driver was finally charged, it became clear this was not the extent of the response we expected and needed, as family of the victims. One of the most damaging aspects after the crash has been the overwhelming senselessness of it, as if we or anyone could be taken at any time, while simply riding the bus home from work. There was hope the investigation and actions taken by OC Transpo would alleviate this sense, by providing an adequate description of why this specifically occurred and what steps will be taken to try to prevent it from occurring in the future.