Former head of Ottawa school bus authority sues OSTA

A yellow school bus in Ottawa is seen in this undated photo. (Dave Charbonneau/CTV News Ottawa)

The former head of the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) Vicky Kyriaco has sued her former employer for constructive dismissal and aggravated damages.

A media release by Kyriaco on Wednesday said she filed a Statement of Claim with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, claiming the actions of the authority's board of directors damaged her health, reputation and career.

"I trust my Statement of Claim sends a clear message to all that public and political pressure for a certain course of action to be taken. While expeditious and psychologically satisfying for some, it does not mean the truth has been taken into consideration," Kyriaco said in the statement.

A Statement of Claim refers to damages that exceed $35,000.

No other details on the lawsuit were provided. OSTA did not respond to a request for comment.

Kyriaco served as the OSTA's general manager and chief administrative officer before a sudden leave of absence on Oct. 3, as the authority grappled with significant bus driver shortages.

She departed her role entirely on Dec. 8. The reason for her departure was never clarified by her or the OSTA.

The new school year began without enough drivers, and more than 9,000 students in Ottawa's English public and catholic school boards were left without school bus transportation. Frustrations had been mounting as parents, many of them living in rural parts of Ottawa, had to rearrange their schedules to drive their kids several kilometres to and from school every day.

Since early December, the OSTA has made significant progress on hiring, bringing the number of bus driver vacancies to 20, down from 130 at the beginning of the school year. OSTA says they anticipate most of the cancelled runs to be reinstated by January.

Kyriaco said she has worked in the transportation industry for more than 27 years. She was hired by the OSTA in November 2011.

Interim operations manager Cindy Owens was appointed as the temporary head of the authority before a permanent replacement is hired.