Snow Day Bus Rant

When I was a kid, growing up in Nova Scotia in the 1970s, I took the bus to school. Because it was the 1970s my parents trusted that I would get up get ready and get on the bus myself. That meant that I became a CBC listener at a very tender age. Because there is nothing like the sweet sound of the CBC announcer on saying, “Kings, Hants and Halifax County schools are cancelled for today.” My childhood bus came early - between 7:30 and 7:45 in my memory. Even as a kid I remember thinking that dithering about the decision to close schools was bad. There were a number of times we’d get picked up, get to school, only to be bussed home again all in a raging snow storm because of dithering about whether to close the schools. Those roads were treacherous- the greatest danger to us was the drive. 

Nothing has changed. We smashed snow records here in Whitehorse yesterday. The Department of Highways and Public Works and the municipality both asked people to stay off the roads - but no word from schools. Each student and teacher was on their own to make a decision about whether it would be safe for them to got to school. There was no information about whether buses were running. Just stop the dithering! Make the call to close school so people can stay safe! A spokesman person had the audacity to say they  had to keep schools open so students had somewhere safe to be. So their homes aren’t safe?!