Saskatoon (Rajeev Sharma): A Saskatchewan judge has sentenced a charter bus driver to jail after ruling that he posed an extreme and unacceptable risk by driving while impaired with more than 50 children on board.
The provincial court judge said the driver’s decision to mix alcohol with prescription pain medication while operating a bus full of schoolchildren was “breathtakingly reckless,” adding that a community-based sentence would not adequately reflect the seriousness of the offence or protect public safety.
The incident occurred in March 2025, when the 71-year-old driver was transporting 52 students and two teachers back to Saskatoon from a school ski trip. Witnesses reported the bus drifting between lanes and onto the shoulder of the highway, causing panic among passengers. One of the teachers eventually convinced the driver to pull over.
By the time police arrived, a replacement driver had taken over and safely removed the children. Officers later found the original driver unconscious in a separate vehicle nearby.
Testing showed the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration was more than twice the legal limit. Court heard he was also taking powerful prescription opioids for chronic pain at the time of the trip.
The judge described the behaviour as an extraordinary breach of trust, noting that the Criminal Code considers the presence of passengers under 16 to be an aggravating factor in impaired driving cases. In this instance, the court emphasized, there were dozens of young passengers whose safety was placed at risk.
At sentencing, prosecutors acknowledged the driver’s age and health concerns and had sought a community sentence to be served outside jail. However, the judge rejected that recommendation, saying it failed to send a clear message about the consequences of impaired driving—particularly when children are involved.
The driver was sentenced to six months in jail, followed by one year of probation. Conditions include community service requirements and a two-year driving prohibition. He was also dismissed from his employment following the incident.
The judge said the sentence was necessary to denounce the conduct, deter others, and reinforce public confidence in the justice system.
