Extreme Cold Forces School Bus Cancellations in Saskatchewan

Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation in Saskatchewan has announced the closure of all schools and cancellation of school bus services due to the extreme cold weather conditions. With temperatures reaching as low as -46 degrees Celsius when accounting for windchill, Prairie Spirit School Division has decided to suspend all bus operations for the morning. Students and parents are advised to check the school division’s website for updates about afternoon routes.

In a similar vein, Saskatoon Public Schools automatically cancel all bus services provided by First Student and Hertz Northern Bus when Environment Canada reports a temperature of -45 degrees Celsius or below at 7 a.m. However, despite the cancellations, all schools in Saskatoon remain open for regular hours.

Moreover, the bus services for elementary school students in Saskatoon, Warman, and Martensville, as well as high school students from Martensville and Warman attending Bishop James Mahoney High School, and intensive-needs high school buses in Saskatoon have been canceled by Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools on January 15th. The division follows a policy of canceling bus services when the temperature, including wind chill, hits -45 degrees Celsius in Saskatoon. Parents are being informed of route cancellations by service providers First Student and Hertz Northern Bus. However, all schools in the division will remain open as usual.

The freezing temperatures have also led to bus cancellations in other regions. Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation, Valhalla Community School, and First Student buses will not be running on Monday, January 15th, according to the information received from Peace Wapiti School Division administration. Nevertheless, schools within the division will be open.

The Grande Prairie Public School Division in Alberta has announced the cancellation of only a few morning school buses on January 15th. The affected buses are C51, C19, C17, C22, C45, C49, and C52.