OSTA Responds to Deloitte Review, GM Leaves After Four Months

Ottawa Student Transportation (OSTA) has responded to the 2023-24 review conducted by Deloitte at the Ministry of Education’s request.

“At OSTA, our foremost commitment is to ensure that students have safe, reliable, and efficient transportation to and from school,” said interim General Manager and CAO Cindy Owens. “We recognize the concerns raised by parents and guardians following last year’s challenges, and OSTA is dedicated to implementing meaningful changes to address these issues.”

Owens, a former Ottawa Catholic School Board principal, served as the Interim General Manager last year, replacing former OSTA GM Vicky Kyriaco. Earlier this year, OSTA hired Joel Lemieux, a former OC Transpo transit operations control centre manager, as their new GM. Lemieux departed OSTA with no reason provided to the public or media, prompting OSTA to put Owens back in for a second term as interim GM.

The 2023-24 school bus year began in turmoil for the families of approximately 7,500 students, as there was a shortage of bus drivers. Complicating the problem in the rural west end, including Richmond, North Gower and Manotick and the surrounding area, was that only nine of the 10 operating companies renewed their contract. The company that did not served rural South Carleton.

Many families were left in a situation where one parent had to stay home or could not work in order to get their children to and from school.

Because of the situation, the Ontario Ministry of Education ordered a third party review of OSTA’s situation. The review was conducted by Deloitte.

After a thorough review of Deloitte’s recommendations, OSTA has taken the following actions:

• OSTA has accepted all recommendations related to management practices, contract management, and procurement. These steps will enhance the overall efficiency and reliability of OSTA’s services.
• In terms of cost-saving measures, OSTA has agreed to all recommendations except for one regarding the harmonization of school calendars, which falls under the jurisdiction of the school boards.
• OSTA has also reviewed the transportation-related recommendations. While most apply to OSTA, recommendations TP-6 and TP-7 extend beyond their mandate.

Concerning the cost-saving recommendation to review school start times (bell times), any changes exceeding 10 minutes require school board approval. Should any adjustments be considered, OSTA will ensure that parents and guardians are consulted well in advance. Importantly, no bell time changes will be implemented in the upcoming school year.

“The full Deloitte Transportation Consortium Review is available on OSTA’s website. We have already begun implementing many of the recommended changes and will continue our efforts to provide transportation services for the new school year. We appreciate your continued trust and patience as we work to improve our services,” concluded Owens.

The 2023-24 school year was one with many problems involving transportation for students.