Ottawa parents demand answers after boy, 11, not dropped off by school bus
Ottawa parents demand answers after boy, 11, not dropped off by school bus
Ottawa parents demand answers after boy, 11, not dropped off by school bus
An Ottawa family is demanding answers after their son went missing for five hours following his pickup from school on Monday.
The parents say their son Nathan, an 11-year-old Grade 6 student, wandered around an unfamiliar neighbourhood for hours until a Good Samaritan intervened and helped him get home safely.
The student got into the school transport minivan that normally takes him home from Pierre Elliott Trudeau Catholic elementary school in Barrhaven, but the driver didn’t take him home.
"He was supposed to be home as usual at about 20 minutes after four, and then we noticed by 4:50 he wasn't home yet," Nathan’s father said.
The parents do not want to be identified because of the nature of their work.
About 30 minutes after Nathan’s usual drop-off time, the parents contacted Roxborough Bus Lines.
"They called the driver and the driver said they never picked our son up after school. They said he never went into the van."
Other parents, however, said they had seen Nathan get into the van. For unknown reasons, the driver of the van did not go to Nathan’s stop. Instead, she drove home, leaving Nathan alone in the vehicle despite him asking where they were going and banging on the windows. Parents suggested the driver was distracted by music.
"She's actually driving me to her apartment, which I did not know," Nathan told CTV News Ottawa on Friday. "I managed to get out of the van when she parked, but I didn't know which apartment building she went to.”
Nathan’s parents visited the school and contacted Ottawa police, who reported Nathan missing and put out a news release with his photo.
"The police went to the driver's house. She was adamant she never picked him up," Nathan's father said. "They searched the apartment, he wasn't there. They searched the van, he wasn't in the van."
Nick McRae, the owner and president of Roxborough Bus Lines, told CTV News the company is aware of the situation and cooperating with police as they continue their investigation. He said the driver has been suspended until the company receives more information from the police investigation.
A spokesperson for the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est said school staff took immediate action when they learned a child had not made it home from school.
“As soon as the CECCE administration was made aware that a child had not made it back home after school, actions were taken to support the family and the search efforts to find him as soon as possible,” the board said in a statement.
“In fact, teachers from École catholique élémentaire Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau searched the surrounding areas and a letter was sent to the school community. Social media posts including the child’s picture were also shared on the CECCE’s accounts.”
After walking around Westboro alone for hours, Nathan finally found help at the Tunney's Pasture light rail transit station, 19 kilometres away from his Barrhaven school.
"I was very tired and I found this guy waiting for his Uber and I asked him, 'Hey, can you Google this place?'" Nathan said.
That man was Dave Ellis, who was on his way home from a gathering downtown.
"He kind of made his way up to me very cautiously and he said, 'Can you help me?' And I said, OK, sure," Ellis said.
Nathan's family is new to Ottawa, and he didn't know his parents’ phone numbers. Nathan knew his neighbourhood and street name, so Ellis helped bring the child home.
"I got the driver to change the route and we took him home first and then brought me home," Ellis said.
"It's just very nice of him to allow me in the Uber and pay for it so he can drive me there," Nathan said.
Although Nathan is safe and back home, his parents are still looking to understand what happened.
"When I found out he was back, I was pretty relieved," Nathan's mom said. "But we're still left without any answers."
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Graham Richardson and Michael Woods
Correction
Nathan's parents say the child knew the street and neighbourhood where he lived. The story has been updated.
American actor Anne Heche was taken off life support on Sunday, nine days after suffering severe injuries in a fiery car crash, and has died as a compatible person was found to receive her donated organs, a spokesperson said.
FBI testing of the gun used in the fatal shooting on the movie set of 'Rust' found that the weapon handled by actor Alec Baldwin could not be fired without pulling the trigger while the gun was cocked, according to a newly released forensics report.
Republicans stepped up calls on Sunday for the release of an FBI affidavit showing the underlying justification for its seizure of documents at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
A fire ripped through a packed Coptic Orthodox church during morning services in Egypt's capital on Sunday, quickly filling it with thick black smoke and killing 41 worshippers, including at least 15 children.
A new study is offering a dire prediction for the U.S. state of California, where scientists say catastrophic flooding could become twice as likely in the future due to the effects of climate change.
A new study suggests that Antarctica’s ice shelves may be melting faster than previously believed, which is causing sea levels to rise at a more rapid pace and accelerating the dangers of climate change.
Police arrested three Arizona parents, shocking two of them with stun guns, as they tried to force their way into a school that police locked down Friday after an armed man was seen trying to get on campus, authorities said.
Authorities in Norway said Sunday they have euthanized a walrus that had drawn crowds of spectators in the Oslo Fjord after concluding that it posed a risk to humans.
After Indian-born British novelist Salman Rushdie was attacked during a writing conference in western New York on Friday, current and former Canadian politicians are weighing in on what such attacks mean for freedom of expression and thought.
A diving accident at 14-years-old left Brian Parker paralyzed from the chest down. Now at age 49, he's without the person who was caring for him full-time until just last week, after his 68-year-old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.
The German government on Friday issued a statement confirming the agreement will be signed Aug. 23 in Stephenville, where a Newfoundland based company plans to build a zero-emission plant that will use wind energy to produce hydrogen for export.
The cost of renting a home in Ontario rose more than almost every other province in Canada last month, according to a new national analysis of online listings.
As the CNE readies to open this Friday, one Toronto MPP is expressing concerns about safety possibly being compromised at the 18-day fair due to ride and equipment inspectors being on strike.
Candidates in more than a dozen councillor and school trustee races in Toronto could be formally elected in a week’s time, unless some last-minute challengers step forward.
Quebec's new language law has dozens of municipalities in the province shoring up their bilingual status, with few considering giving up the right to serve their citizens in both English and French.
Voters interested in the Conservative Party of Quebec (PCQ) may be disappointed by its platform, announced Sunday in Drummondville, as it is silent on many issues and vague on many others.
For the twentieth consecutive Sunday, members of the Mothers Step In (Mères au front) collective will gather outside Premier Francois Legault's Montreal office to demand that the government "respond to climate justice."
It was a sea of people wearing green and white at the James Jerome Sports Complex Sunday morning as Sudburians gathered to mark Pakistan Independence Day. This is the 75th anniversary of the country's independence from British colonial rule.
The Flour Mill Community Farm’s 6th annual Open Farm is an opportunity for the community to tour the space, sample some of the farm’s produce and enjoy local musical entertainment live.
Multiple police agencies – including the London Police Service -- are looking for a fugitive with ties to London and the GTA who is wanted on multiple alleged weapons charges.
The return of conventions to Manitoba continues, as the Winnipeg Tattoo Convention brought skin art enthusiasts from around the world to the Red River Exhibition Park this weekend.
A string of pickup truck thefts using relay and reprogramming technology, a crash at a busy Kitchener roundabout, and a big golf shot for a big price round out the top stories of the week.
Jason Kenney and United Conservative Party leadership hopeful Danielle Smith traded words about her proposed sovereignty act this weekend, with Smith saying the premier should not interfere in the contest.
Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and one through the air as the Riders snapped a three game losing skid Saturday night with a 34-23 win in Edmonton.
Jason Kenney and United Conservative Party leadership hopeful Danielle Smith traded words about her proposed sovereignty act this weekend, with Smith saying the premier should not interfere in the contest.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney condemned a controversial prize-winning essay that's been criticized for being sexist and racist during his provincewide radio call-in program, but also appeared to downplay the controversy it generated.
For the second time in a year, British Columbia's highest court has dismissed an appeal from a couple attempting to use bankruptcy to rid themselves of millions of dollars in penalties imposed by the province's financial markets regulator.
Hundreds of Ukrainian immigrants have arrived in Saskatchewan over the last several months. For many of the new arrivals, emigrating from their home country was a decision that was quickly made.
Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo scored a pair of rushing touchdowns and one through the air as the Riders snapped a three game losing skid Saturday night with a 34-23 win in Edmonton.
