André Cornellier, the blunt and outspoken president of the local transit union, who became a public figure during the OC Transpo strike two years ago, has died at age 61.

He died Saturday, just over a year after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

Cornellier joined OC Transpo in 1977, and was first elected president of Branch 279 of the Amalgamated Transit Union in 2000.

He piloted the union through an acrimonious 53-day long transit strike that kept buses off the roads in December 2008 to January 2009.

Ottawa's transit users were able to board the city's buses again only after striking workers and the city were forced to solve their scheduling disputes through binding arbitration.

Cornellier was narrowly re-elected as the branch's head in 2009.

OC Transpo head Alain Mercier, who often sparred with Cornellier both during and after the strike, informed Mayor Jim Watson and councillors Saturday of the union president's death.

Services have been planned for Tuesday and Wednesday at St. Laurent Chapel and a mass will be held at église Saint-Sébastien on Thursday at 11 a.m. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.