School bus driver caught going 106 km/h with children on board
A school bus driver in the Ottawa Valley is facing stunt driving charges after police say they drove more than 40 kilometres per hour over the speed limit with children on board.
An OPP officer spotted the driver travelling at 106 km/h in a 60 km/h zone around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday on Micksburg Road in Laurentian Valley Township, police said in a news release.
The 54-year-old bus driver’s licence was suspended for 30 days and the school bus was towed and impounded for two weeks.
“Children were present on the bus and alternative transportation was arranged for the students,” police said.
The bus driver is charged with racing a motor vehicle and speeding under the Highway Traffic Act. They were issued a summons to appear in Pembroke provincial offences court.
Stunt driving charges used to apply to drivers caught going 50 km/h or more over the speed limit, but the province lowered the threshold to 40 km/h over in July 2021.
Upper Ottawa Valley OPP Const. Shawn Peever told CTV News the driver was stopped on a road that is known as a corridor for speeders.
"Our officer was in the area due to complaints with regards to speed concerns, especially at school pick up and drop off times and that was the result yesterday," he said.
The Renfrew County Joint Transportation Consortium said the bus was not operating for them or serving Renfrew County District School Board or Renfrew County Catholic District School Board Schools.
CTV News has learned the driver was driving students from a French school in the area, under the Ottawa School Transportation Consortium. It's unclear which school the children on the bus attend.
Area school bus driver Simon Brooks said it's uncommon to see a school bus moving that quickly.
"Couldn't believe, because these guys don't move that easily. So 106, that's a good rate," he said.
But residents are not impressed.
"It's unacceptable, as far as I'm concerned, especially with kids still on board," said Pierre Dube, who was picking up his grandkids.
"You put your children or grandchildren's lives at risk," Dawn Dube said. "You hopefully put them on a bus and know that they're going to be safe and get home or to school safely. And then you hear this and it's totally irresponsible."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.