One year ago on February 8, a bus was deliberately driven into a daycare in Laval, killing two toddlers. As this sad anniversary approaches, while we still know nothing about the suspect’s motivations, parents and caregivers have agreed to share their memories of this day as chaotic as it is tragic.
Just a few minutes after the impact of the bus on the facade, daycare educators demonstrated exemplary composure by singing nursery rhymes Master key, playing ball and even taking care to offer the little ones a snack so that they are distracted and spared from the chaos.
“I want every parent to know that their child did not lack love that morning,” says with emotion an educator who prefers to keep her name quiet to avoid being publicly associated with the tragedy. We worked together to create a barrier, we wanted them to notice as little as possible what was happening. And if there were any that were more fragile, we kept them stuck to us.”
Immediately after the shock, the employees rushed to bring the children to the establishment’s nursery, the room furthest from the one affected.
“I remember when I entered, I couldn’t believe how calm it was despite the circumstances,” explains Isabelle Jutras, an Urgences-santé paramedic deployed on the scene. The educators were really great at calming and reassuring the children. I would have expected crying fits.”
Master key on the bus
With the help of firefighters, the children and staff were transferred to the gymnasium of the nearby elementary school aboard a school bus. But be careful – despite the anarchy on site, there is no question of a child leaving with the wrong neck gaiter or another child’s mittens. Particular attention was given so that all the “friends” were dressed appropriately to brave the February cold.
Once on board, the educators sang the children’s favorite nursery rhymes, such as Jump, jump, jump, little frog, from the directory of Master key, Or The wheels of the bus, quite apropos in the context.
“Most of the kids were excited to take their first bus ride,” she says.
A bus smashed into the front of a daycare in the Sainte-Rose district of Laval on Wednesday February 8, 2023, killing two people and injuring several others. MAXIME DELAND/AGENCE QMI
Photo Agence QMI, Maxime Deland
Snack in the gym
Once at school, we put out balloons to entertain the children while they waited for their parents to arrive. A snack was even offered to the little ones in order to stay as close as possible to the daily routine.
“We just love them as if they were our own,” says the educator.
Despite her impressive work, she humbly believes that she only did her job.
“My primary task is to ensure the safety of children. Of course, normally, by that I mean making sure they don’t fall, that they don’t have an allergic reaction or to notify their parents if they have a fever. But even in that context, where the daycare had just been broken up, the only thing I thought about was getting the children to safety.”
Once all the little ones left the gymnasium, absolute silence reigned in the large room. Everyone was crying, the educator remembers. Reality had finally hit the staff members, who for the first time that day allowed themselves the right to feel sad.