(OTTAWA) A water bus that offers sightseeing tours in Ottawa crashed into barriers at the entrance to 24 Sussex, the Prime Minister’s official residence which is unoccupied.
Posted at 11:59
Updated at 12:37 p.m.
The Ottawa Police Service said it was notified of the incident shortly after 9 a.m. Wednesday and no one was injured. Patrol officers were dispatched to the scene.
The company offering guided tours aboard these buses, Lady Dive Tours, told The Canadian Press that the incident occurred during routine tests that are done every morning.
Only the driver was in the vehicle and he was not injured, a media relations official said.
Lady Dive Tours was conducting checks late Wednesday morning to determine the exact cause of the incident. The company’s director of operations, Leon Harris, said the bus will be towed into a garage and taken out of service for the remainder of the tourist season.
First, the bus was towed further down Sussex Street, near the French Embassy. While the vehicle did not appear to be heavily damaged, a large portion of the fence was completely knocked down.
Police tape surrounded the scene of the incident and employees of the National Capital Commission, which is responsible for official residences, were on site.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not live at 24 Sussex because the building requires major repairs. Instead, he resides at Rideau Cottage, located on the grounds of Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor General.