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As school bus strike enters third week, parents express frustration

Bus drivers on strike picket in the rain outside of a blue garage.
Thousands of children in the Pontiac and elsewhere in the Outaouais have been without school transportation since May 1, due to a bus driver strike. Pictured, drivers picket on May 1. Caleb Nickerson/CHIP 101.9.
Caleb Nickerson - CHIP - Pontiac • QC | 17-05-2023
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The ongoing school bus driver strike has dragged on into its third week, and there is currently no end in sight, as the two parties have been at an impasse over salary increases and the length of contracts. The Western Quebec School Board issued a press release at the end of last week (May 12), noting their "deep frustration" with the situation, and advised that they would be invoking clauses in their contract to impose financial penalties on the companies for services they had not delivered. It also notes that the strike is unlikely to end in the near future.

"We have taken every opportunity to remind all parties that reliable, safe and timely transportation services is an important factor in the success of our students. Despite our interventions, and to our disappointment, there seems to be very limited progress, if any, at the negotiations table," the statement reads. "Unfortunately, with the latest information we have, it seems very unlikely that the transportation companies will come to an agreement with their drivers in the near future."

CHIP 101.9 spoke with several parents about their experience during the disruption.

Shannon Lasalle, a parent from Otter Lake whose two children attend Pontiac High School in Shawville, said that as a self-employed hairdresser, she has some flexibility with her schedule, but the extra time spent coordinating transportation is still difficult as a single parent.

She added that with the disruptions in education caused by the pandemic over the last few years, this is the last thing that students need.

For Richard Lance and Crystal Dubeau, the owners of Rumours Restaurant in Otter Lake, the situation is a little more complicated as they have to deliver one child to St. John's Elementary in Campbell's Bay, and two more to Shawville to adult education and PHS, fitting a roughly 80 km round trip into their schedule twice a day.

They said that on days when they have to head to the city for supplies, their children have to miss school, as they won't be back in time to pick them up. They added that they anticipate the strike will last until the end of the school year, and have been trying to coordinate with other parents from the area.