School bus driver fired after allegedly leaving students stranded

A school bus driver in Ottawa has been fired after allegedly leaving a bus full of children in a parking lot last Friday. CTV’s Katie Griffin reports.

A school bus driver for Ottawa’s French Catholic school board has been fired after allegedly leaving a bus full of students stranded last week.

The Ottawa Police Service is investigating.

Police say officers responded to the area of Coventry Road and St. Laurent Boulvard at approximately 3 p.m. Friday “for a dispute involving a school bus.” A school bus parking lot is located on Coventry Road, west of St. Laurent Boulevard.

The Consortium du transport scolaire d’Ottawa (CTSO) said the bus from Collège Catholique Samuel-Genest had approximately 40 students on board when the driver drove it to the bus depot on Coventry Road, parked, got off the bus, and drove away in his car.

“The driver involved is no longer authorized to operate a school vehicle,” Patrick Pharand, director of the Consortium du transport scolaire d’Ottawa, told CTV News Ottawa in a statement.

The CTSO said there is always a supervisor on site at the bus depot and a replacement bus was immediately dispatched to bring the students home; however, there was a delay because a student called police. Some parents also arrived at the bus depot to pick up their children, Pharand said.

“In all my career, I have never witnessed this,” he said in an email to CTV News Ottawa.

The Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) said the CTSO quickly took charge of the situation.

“Students remained under the supervision of an adult at all times while on site,” the CECCE said. “The students concerned were subsequently transported safely to their homes by an CTSO replacement driver.

“Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we wish to clarify that the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est does not condone any behaviour that could compromise the safety or well-being of students. Student safety remains, at all times, an absolute priority for the Board.”

The CECCE said it is unable to comment further on the circumstances surrounding the incident in light of the CTSO and police investigation.

“While appropriate measures will be taken in light of the findings of CTSO’s investigation, CECCE remains concerned by this situation and will closely monitor its outcome,” the CECCE said.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katie Griffin

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