PRESS RELEASE: School Bus Safety

The proposed regulations will allow for more efficient enforcement and prosecution by allowing evidence from these cameras to be used in court without the requirement of an additional witness.

“In everything our government does we put people first,” said MPP Ghamari. “The Ministry of Transportation’s proposed new measures will help communities in Carleton, including Manotick, North Gower, Osgoode, Greely, Kars, Metcalfe, Stittsville and Riverside South, improve student safety on school buses and will also hold irresponsible drivers accountable.”

“The safety of our most precious resource, our children, is our government’s number one priority,” said Minister Yurek. “We intend to create a regulatory framework that will allow for more efficient enforcement and prosecution to keep our children safer.”

Ontario also plans to introduce legislation that, if passed, would allow municipalities to target drivers who threaten the safety of children on school buses with new, additional monetary penalties.

Quick Facts:

• Each school day, more than 837,000 students travel in a school vehicle in Ontario.
• Injuries and fatalities, which are very rare, happen more often outside the school bus as students are boarding and leaving the bus or crossing the street.