Staff shortage, illnesses behind bus cancellations in Sooke School District
The Sooke School District says an ongoing staffing shortage and recent illnesses are behind the cancellation of several school bus routes.
The district has cancelled a route most days for the last two weeks, forcing parents to find alternatives to get their children to school.
To manage the disruption, the district has had to rely on its transport manager and mechanic to drive buses.
“Sometimes we just don’t have enough people to operate those routes,” said school district superintendent Scott Stinson.
“We do apologize to our families for the inconvenience. It’s the reality of the sickness that seems to be rolling through that group of employees unfortunately.”
Stinson said he’s unware if the cancellations has caused any students to miss classes and said he is aware the situation is causing frustration amongst families.
“We try not to impact the same route over multiple days if we can avoid that,” said Stinson.
Stinson said notices are sent out immediately once the district is aware that cancellations are required. Notices go out over social media and the district’s messenger program that sends out emails and voice messages directly to parents.
The district is actively recruiting more employees through ongoing job fairs to add to the 39 full-time and five on-call bus drivers.
Staffing shortages became an issue for the district during the pandemic and the district said it’s not the only employer struggling to fill vacant bus driver positions.
Cameron Gordon-Findlay, a bus driver for the district for 20 years, said he hasn’t seen a shortage like this before.
“Drivers… are postponing doctors' appointments and other family commitments to stay on the route,” said Gordon-Findlay. “The drivers take on these routes and they are part of that family that they are picking up.”
Gordon-Findlay said everyone is “pulling their weight” to tackle the issue.
The veteran driver said the job is a good fit for someone who is retired or looking for a second job with a benefits package.
Gordon-Findlay, 67, said he’s getting pressure from his family to retire but enjoys the job too much to really consider it at this time.
Stinson said he hopes the cancellations will end soon since the end of the year is a busy time with field trips and other events requiring transportation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.