The provincial government is introducing new measures to target drivers who threaten the safety of children crossing roads to their school or home. 

This includes making school bus camera footage admissible in court without a witness present as evidence in cases relating to vehicles running school bus stop signs.  

The current system relies on the bus drivers for information, including the bus driver taking details of the vehicle, the license number and who was driving the vehicle. Additionally, if a bus driver is not able to take a day off to attend court, footage from school bus cameras is not admissible. 

Minister of Transportation Jeff Yurek says that it will be up to local governments to decide if they want to make it mandatory for school buses. Currently, only school buses in six jurisdictions in Ontario have cameras on its stop arms. School bus operators would have to fund the cameras but local governments, who will receive the proceeds from such fines, can choose to allocate that money back to the operators. Details on this are yet unclear.

The government is also planning to introduce legislation that would allow municipalities to levy harsher fines.

Currently, drivers who pass a stopped school bus can be charged and face a fine of up to $2,000 and receive six demerit points for a first offence. Repeat offenders risk fines of $1,000 to $4,000 and up to six months in jail. 

For more information, please see below: 

Ontario Newsroom: Ontario Announces Measures to Increase School Bus Safety

Global News: School bus camera footage alone to be enough to prosecute drivers in court