Man who drove bus into Laval daycare, killing 2 kids, appealing his high-risk offender status

Pierre Ny St-Amand was found not criminally responsible for killing two children in 2023, when he crashed a city bus into a daycare in Laval, Que. (Source: Noovo Info/The Canadian Press)

A man who was found not criminally responsible for killing two children and injuring others after crashing a city bus into a Laval daycare will be allowed to request an appeal of his high-risk offender status.

On March 16, a judge declared Pierre Ny St-Amand a high-risk offender, ruling that his crime was so brutal that there was a risk he could reoffend.

On Monday, Justice Geneviève Marcotte of the Quebec Court of Appeal granted an extension to file a notice of appeal. The court has given the man’s lawyers until Sept. 4 to file their arguments.

St-Amand killed four-year-old Jacob Gauthier and a five-year-old girl named Maëva, whose family name is covered by a publication ban at the request of her parents, when he crashed the bus into the daycare on the morning of Feb. 8, 2023.

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Montreal newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

In April 2025, Justice Éric Downs agreed with a joint submission from the Crown and defence that the bus driver was not able to discern right from wrong and was in a state of psychosis, and ruled he was not criminally responsible for the children’s deaths.

The high-risk offender carries tightened restrictions on an individual and is imposed when there is a determination that he or she would pose a significant risk to the public’s safety.

According to Downs’ ruling, St-Amand must remain at the Philippe-Pinel psychiatric hospital in Montreal, and cannot leave without permission for medical appointments and for treatment. He must also have an escort when he leaves the facility.

His lawyers opposed the designation, saying it stands in the way of his rehabilitation.