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We have been kept in the dark far too long. The City of Ottawa, the Ottawa Police and OC Transpo have seemingly ignored the fact that there are real people behind these three tragic deaths. They are more concerned about legalities and protecting themselves than they are about being human, doing the right thing, and reaching out to communicate with those affected.

Bruce was a husband, father of two boys, son, brother, friend, dedicated Canadian Border Services Agency employee, Scout leader, Big Brother. He loved the outdoors, and was an all-around funny guy.

Photo by Elaine Thomlinson / Postmedia

On Jan. 11, 2019, Bruce was sitting in the front right seat on the upper level of the double-decker bus on his way home from work on what should have been a regular Friday afternoon. Bruce would normally arrive home from work at the same time every day, like clockwork. When he was late that day, we started hearing reports of an OC Transpo bus accident and immediately began fearing the worst. We made multiple attempts to reach Bruce via cell phone, without success. Our anxiety escalated with each passing minute. We still had not made contact with him when we learned that loved ones looking to locate a family member were being asked to report to a community centre in Westboro. We immediately headed there.

Upon arrival, we were advised that uninjured passengers were being interviewed by police and would be brought to the community centre to be reunited with their loved ones. Hours passed before we were informed that there had been a change of plans: Passengers who had been interviewed were sent home. No one was able to tell us with certainty what would be happening next. We were advised to stay at the community centre. Frantically, we called all of the local hospitals asking if Bruce had been sent there, but no one seemed to know where he was or what condition he was in.