A motion to reopen the tendering process for school buses with the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board will likely never to go a vote.
Trustee Parsons made the following notice of motion at last month’s meeting to issue a new Request for Proposals after local companies didn’t win any of the contracts awarded by Tri-Board for the upcoming school year (2026-2027). Tri-Board runs the school bus transportation system for three local boards including HPEDSB.
Motion
That the Tri-Board Transportation be directed to cancel busing contracts pertinent to
the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board with a September 2026
implementation date, and that new Requests For Proposals be issued with priority
being given to student safety and conforming to the Province of Ontario legislation
giving priority to Ontario companies.
At the Board Meeting on March 30, 2026 (Monday), the Chair intends to rule this motion out of order with
rationale provided in the report provided by staff.
The report says the contracts were awarded fairly, and if the board decides to override the initial process it will have to consider the costs of doing so including reputational and potential legal costs and the short timeframe for putting everything in place by September.
A link to the report can be found here.
The decision of the chair can be challenged by the board, requiring a simple majority to overturn.
