Whereas Transport Canada has amended the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations by: - telling manufacturers how to properly install lap-shoulder seat belts on school buses, if an operator request that they do so; - not allowing manufacturers to install lap-only seat belts; and - improving compartmentalization for larger students by raising the minimum seat back height: Therefore be it resolved that the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure be asked to fully fund the implementation of these and any changes proposed by the Federal Minister of Transportations Task Force on School Bus Safety so that school districts can fully comply with the requirements.
Ministry of Education Three-point seatbelt installation on school buses is not mandatory at any level Federal, Provincial, Territorial. It is an option that school bus owners and operators school districts can add to new buses if they wish. Any such installation must comply with Transport Canadas technical standard for school bus seatbelt installation Guidelines for the Use of Seatbelts on School Buses published July 2018. The Ministry of Educations Bus Acquisition Program provides a 10K options allowance per bus when providing bus funding to school districts, which they can use for things like seatbelts, snow chains for tires, air-conditioning, GPS systems, etc. There are two school districts in the Province SD68 and SD78 that have begun adding three-point seatbelts to their new buses over the past couple of years. Retrofitting existing buses with seatbelts nullifies the manufacturers warranty because most existing buses do not have the structural integrity to have this type of retrofitting completed. Transport Canada is also partnering with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the Ministry of Education in launching a pilot project introducing seatbelts in some school buses in the Province. The pilot project involves a limited number of new school buses equipped with three-point seatbelts that follow the latest federal standards. The safety of Canadas road users is priority for all levels of government, and that starts with the safe transportation of school children.