Westboro residents support victims and each other

This story was originally published January 2019.

Residents of Westboro and beyond are coming together to support the victims of the Westboro bus collision and also help each other.

Westboro Station reopened to the public January 13th, following extensive clean up of the crash site where westbound bus 269 to Bridlewood collided with the Westboro Station bus structure on January 11th. Almost immediately following the reopening, a memorial formed at the crash site as well as other spots in Westboro. People are leaving flowers, cards, and even socks to pay respect to the victims of the crash as neighbours and businesses are opening their doors to support each other during a difficult time.

Florist and owner of Flowers by Maggie on Richmond Road, Maggie Freitas, brought a special bouquet to the memorial. “Red is for love and respect,” she says pointing at three red roses she hung on a fence, which she says represents the three people who lost their lives in the crash. Freitas uses Westboro Station often and says she was reduced to tears as she noticed buses have been driving slower into the station since it reopened. “You become numb for a second because something horrible happened here you know?”

The bouquet of flowers created by Flowers by Maggie.

The brisk -9 degree weather didn’t keep residents of Westboro from visiting the vigil set up just metres away from where the bus veered into the station. The eerie emptiness of the cornered off station platform lingers in the background of the memorial and serves a reminder of the tragedy that occurred just days ago.

One of the most intriguing items left at the memorial is a pair of socks placed by Jessica Baird, the founder of The Sock Project. Baird suffers from an autoimmune disease called ankylosing spondylitis. “I told people I want to do something fun to take my mind off everything,” she says about the dealing with her disease. “I asked for 365 fun, silly socks and it turned out to be thousands of socks sent to me.”

Baird had so many socks she started reaching out to people with chronic ailments and mental illnesses so she could send them socks to brighten their mood, and The Sock Project was born. “When I heard the names [of the victims] when they were announced, I was like ‘oh I need to go down there with some socks and write their names on the socks and leave them at the memorial,’” she says.

“It comes out of a very dark time for me but it’s my creative way of dealing with really difficult things and helping other people in difficult times,” Jessica Baird says about creating socks. She has previously made about 500 pairs of socks for the tornado relief concert at TD Place Arena in November.

Some prominent businesses in the Westboro area opened their doors to try to comfort the community. Hintonburg’s famous Hintonburger on Wellington Street West offered free meals to the first responders handling the bus crash. The Wellington Diner also stepped up in a big way by offering hospitality and coffee to anyone who felt unsettled.

After news of the collision broke, The Wellington Diner owner Jeffrey Frost felt compelled to help. “I just wanted to do something and I didn’t know what to do, so I thought come here, warm up, have coffee,” he says, “I knew there would be a lot of people emotionally affected.”

The diner had a busy night according to Frost. “My staff said there was a lot of bewilderment, a lot of people were very confused, stunned, concerned, and that emotion filled this restaurant,” he says.

Frost hopes The Wellington Diner can be seen as a safe place in the community where anyone can go to get their spirits lifted. “The better the Wellington Diner will do or can do [business-wise], the better The Wellington Diner will and can do for its community,” he says, “I live and breathe that every day.”

“If I would describe the diner, I would say it has a big personality or tries to have a big personality in a lot of ways but it also can match that with a lot of heart,” says Frost of his diner pictured above.

Ottawa Public Health (OPH)  also made an effort to help the affected communities in Ottawa recover. “This week, Ottawa Public Health staff have been at Eagleson and Westboro transit stations Monday and Tuesday between 5:30-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m to provide transit users information cards with available mental health resources in the community,”  a representative from the OPH, Donna Casey, said in an official email statement.  

Information posters hung up at Westboro Station.

The OPH staff have been meeting with commuters at Westboro and Eagleson stations to spread the message that “it is OK to not be ok,” following the Westboro bus crash on Jan. 11. “The psychological impact of a stressful event can be immediate or delayed, and those affected directly or indirectly can feel a range of emotions and reactions,” Casey says.

In the wake of this tragedy, it’s evident the community of Westboro and beyond really came together to pay tribute to the victims and to comfort one another.

Anyone in need of help is encouraged to visit OttawaPublicHealth.ca/Westboro or call the Ottawa Distress Centre at 613-238-3311.

Leave a comment