I am getting the distinct impression that a lot (not all) of the
folks commenting on this story haven't bothered reading the complete
story, otherwise it's hard to explain the large amount of downright
stupid comments.
So lets recap the story in a distilled easy to understand form: The
girl in question was NOT on OC Transpo property or hiding (eg a bus
depot etc); but merely crossed an OC Transpo road (called the
Transitway). This Transitway is a buses only road, that's all (and
last time I checked, crossing a road was still legal). Someone who
has read the story would also know that she was with her friends on
NCC land (that's parkland administered by the National Capital
Comission) photographing the buses driving by. Hence the OC Transpo
officer had absolutely no authority there and was wayyyyyyyyyyyys out
of line (you can't simply arrest someone for trespassing just for
standing next door). That the kids consequently moved a little
further away to avoid any more trouble with more officers on a Red
Bull trip is totally understandable. The article also mentions that
photographing buses for personal use is LEGAL (citing a bylaw).
My own guess (I attended the photo course at the same college many
years ago) is that the girl's assignment was on "camera and subject
movement" (panning and such). The date of the conviction in absentia
is interesting though - December 21st. By that time, many student's
have long left the college and are celebrating Christmas with their
families at home.
