It's been a year since the Westboro bus crash. What's changed?

Saturday marks one year since a double-deckerOC Transpo bus plowed into the Transitway shelter at Westborostation duringwhat should have been a typical afternoon commute, forever changing the lives of dozens of victims and their families.

Passengers Judy Booth, Bruce Thomlinson and AnjaVan Beek died in the crash.

Manyof those who survived have undergone surgeryandtherapy. Some haven't been able to work, while others have had to move into more accessible homes to cope with their injuries.

• Getting back on the bus

One year later, questions still swirl about what caused the crash, what's been done to improve safety on the Transitway, and whether enough has been done to help the victims who continue to suffer from the physical and emotional trauma of that fateful day.

What caused the crash?

Ottawa police finished their investigation and chargedthe driver in August. Aissatou Diallo faces multiple charges ofdangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm.

As for the actual findings of thatinvestigationand the circumstances that led police to laythose charges, they likely won't come out until Diallo's trial, scheduled for March 2021.

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Neither OC Transponorthe lawyer settling claims on behalf of the city hasany extrainsight into what the police uncovered about the events of that tragicafternoon.

What changes has OC Transpo made?

OC Transpo hired an engineering firm late last year to review thesafety of the Transitway. It will studyeverythingfrom speed limits tolighting to bus shelters, and willreport back mid-year.

"Instantly, we wanted to know how it happened, why it happened, what can we do to prevent it from happening again," said OC Transpo's Pat Scrimgeour.

But the transit agencydidn't want to make hasty changes that could lead to unforeseen problems, Scrimgeour said.A committeechaired by the Ottawa policethat reviews fatal collisions recommended engineersperform thesafety review.

Westborostation has the only remaining original shelters that weredesigned and installed in the 1980s,Scrimgeournoted; other Transitway stationswere constructed later or have been replaced by LRT stops.

One thing has changed: New drivers atOC Transponow need to spend a certain number of training hours on each type of bus in the fleet, including double-deckers.

What's beendone for victims?

Both Diallo and the City of Ottawaarebeing sued for negligence. This week, the city solicitor formally admitted Ottawatakes responsibility for compensating victims.

The final sumwill likely total tens of millions of dollars.

"Because Ottawa had employed the driver, and Ottawa owns the bus, and Ottawa owns the roadway, it's in a position to say, no matter what caused the accident, we are going to take responsibility," said Terry Shillington, an outsidelawyer hired to settle the claims. Shillington said he hopes to reach settlements without going to court.

In court documents, a dozenfamilies claim a total of about $50 million, but 18 more have also hired lawyers. They say the crash caused them to lose income and diminished theirlifestyle, andthey'll be paying medical bills for the rest of their lives. Somehave had to install elevators or even build new homes to accommodate their injuries.

Settling these claims could take years, but city insurers have advanced $3.5 million in the meantime.

Will there be further investigation, or an inquest?

Ontario's Ministry of Transportation regulates commercial vehicles. It is still reviewing OC Transpo'soperations, safety policies and procedures.

It could eventually tell OC Transpo to fix deficiencies or make certain operational changes, but it'sup to OC Transpo itself to do that.

The coroner's office isstill investigating, but can only make recommendations to prevent deaths in the future, not lay blame.

The supervising coroner for eastern Ontario, Louise McNaughton-Filion, said she can only make such recommendationsor call an inquestonce the criminal proceedings finish.