It was shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 15. Chuck Seguin, executive director of the Nipissing-Parry Sound Student Transportation Services is travelling some of the roads in the Sturgeon Falls area.
"I can tell you my experience on Wednesday morning at 24 km/h locking up my brakes, skidding three car lengths and then coming off my brakes to ensure I had steering," he recalls.
"That was my test and as I rounded a corner and came to a slight incline as my headlights hit that ice surface it just looked black and shiny. Days like Wednesday are treacherous."
Seguin knew from that drive it was likely going to be a "snow day" and school bus service would be cancelled due to the weather.
"Typically the evening before we see a strong possibility of something our operations manager will advise the operators in the area of a conference call to be held at 5:30 the next morning," explains Seguin.
"The operators go out prior to the conference call. The operators cover off the entire region of Nipissing and District of Parry Sound. They are hitting the roads, checking on conditions, talking to road maintenance people in some areas and just gathering information on whether it is safe or not."
After that is the 5:30 a.m. teleconference to discuss the situation.
"Recommendations are made by the operators," he said.
"We are looking at 5-1-1, we are looking at the Weather Network, we are looking at all the sources that we can access and then make a decision from there based on student safety and the best information we may have at that time."
Up to February 3, Seguin says Nipissing-Parry Sound Student Transportation Services has called five entire region snow day cancellations and 24 snow day bus cancellations in total. There have been more since then.
Seguin says sometimes they have to make the tough decision when only one portion of the day will have risky weather.
"Sometimes it is based on forecast conditions changing throughout the day," he said.
"For example, freezing rain to start at noon, so you do not want to transport the students to school and not be able to safely get them home so the entire day may be cancelled."
Sometimes the forecast can be deceiving.
"Once in a while that forecast changes suddenly, but the decision has been made; the buses did not go out. That happens but more often than not, we have taken the proper precautions."
Seguin says they are working on creating better ways to inform parents and guardians about snow days.
"We continue to look for better ways to do business," he said.
"We are on the cusp of giving out a better communications platform to parents and give them more focused information coming to them on their particular routes."
But no matter what they do, Seguin says safety is always key.
"We are at the mercy of the weather and safeguarding the cargo which is the most precious thing we've got."
