Sudbury student shares frustration with school bus cancellations
Denika Legault, a Grade 11 student at College Notre Dame in Sudbury, says frequent problems with school buses this year have sometimes left her in the cold.
Legault said her high school experience has been anything but normal so far.
“It's been pretty difficult," she said. "It's hard to keep stable grades because one day we’re online then were at school then we’re told to go to school without any transportation. So it's been pretty difficult, but we’re trying our best.”
Legault said there are currently no options for learning from home if students have to isolate or don’t have transportation. She said that is unfair.
“I’ve been left twice without a bus so far," she said.
"Once it was in the morning and I was waiting outside and it was like -40 outside and I waited outside for 20 minutes and it never came and there was nothing (from) the bus consortium about my bus.”
Renée Boucher of the Sudbury Student Services Consortium said the organization does its best to make sure all of the necessary information is available on its website. https://www.businfo.ca/en/
“Every morning on our website we post the cancellations under our announcements but we also have a section for delays, and so just a reminder for parents to verify,” said Boucher.
She said a driver shortage and constant sick calls are to blame for the cancelled bus routes in Sudbury, but said the situation is improving.
“We have four school bus routes that are being cancelled this week because of the driver shortage, so that is much, much better than before Christmas, so it's coming along," Boucher said.
"We are training drivers and keeping them behind the wheels of our buses. One of our biggest issues right now is drivers who are either ill themselves or they reside with someone who is symptomatic.”
She said last on Jan. 21, 28 routes were cancelled due to isolation rules. On Monday, it was 16. Boucher said she's hopeful this week will be better than the last.
But ultimately, she said the problem will only be solved once there are extra drivers on the roster to cover sick calls.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.