RCMP and emergency crews were on the scene of a fatal collision, involving a young child in Grade 2 and a school bus with children on board Friday morning.
According to the Greater St. Albert Catholic School division, the collision took place at the intersection of Sir Winston Churchill Avenue and Woodlands Road just before 8:45 a.m.
RCMP confirmed a 6-year-old boy had died in the crash - and he was crossing Woodlands Road when he was hit.
Police said that particular intersection has a crosswalk, but that crossing is not controlled by lights.
St. Albert’s mayor was quick to promise officials will investigate the intersection to see if changes could be made.
“Now that this has happened, we must move with urgency to make sure this site and all sites are reviewed,” Mayor Nolan Crouse said.
For parents in the area, the dangers of that crosswalk are not new – the mother of the deceased child had spoken to another mother about that very same intersection not long ago.
“It’s absolutely devastating, because it was preventable,” Cindy De Bruijn, a mother and friend of the victim’s family said. “It’s not surprising because I’ve had conversations with the mom who lost her little boy, about what we can do to make that intersection more safe.”
The school division’s superintendent said in a statement that the child attends Ecole Marie Poburan.
“Our heartfelt condolences are extended to the family, friends and classmates of this child,” David Keohane, Superintendent of Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools, the district in charge of the school the deceased attended, said Friday.
A number of young students under the St. Albert Public School Division were on the bus involved in the crash when it happened.
“The community of St. Albert is in pain today from the loss of this young student,” Barry Wowk, Superintendent of St. Albert Public Schools said. “The impact of this loss has been felt throughout our sister district as well as our own.”
Officials said the child's family had been notified, and a critical response team was at the child's school to help support the family and students. In addition, police said the children who were also on the bus at the time of the collision were also being offered assistance by their school.
The bus company involved in the incident, First Student Canada, did not return calls for comment.
On Friday afternoon, a small memorial was started near the scene of the collision, but it was taken down later that afternoon – at the family’s request, as they asked for privacy.
RCMP said alcohol is not a factor in the crash, but investigators are still trying to determine exactly what happened.
With files from Ashley Molnar
