The wheels on the bus go round and round and round: Long rural bus route worries parents
Kids might spend 2½ hours a day on a bus, but district says changing a route would have 'domino effect’
Sarah Kennedy says this norm has her daughter, who is in Grade 1, coming home from school not wanting to talk to or look at anyone and going straight to bed.
This girl spends 2½ hours on the bus every day to get to and from her home in Youngs Cove to the Cambridge-Narrows Community School, normally about a 20-minute drive each way.
"They're tired by the time they get to school," Kennedy said of students in the southern New Brunswick community who must take a school bus. "By the time they get home from school, they're completely exhausted.
"Then sometimes we're faced with trying to do homework and suppertime and a lot of the kids just, they don't want to function by the time they get home, and I can't blame them."
Sarah
Kennedy said her daughter, who is in Grade 1, is coming home from
school and going straight to bed because of her long day. (Submitted by Sarah Kennedy)
When she can, Kennedy said, she will drive her daughter, but she's on disability now, so it's only an option on good days.
Craig Dykeman said his daughter, Keva, is in a similar situation. She just started kindergarten in September and rides the bus 80 minutes each way to get to the K-12 Cambridge-Narrows school.
He said Keva was excited to start school, but now, with the long bus ride, isn't as thrilled.
"She's pretty darn tired after the end of the day," Dykeman said. "She's had enough. She's getting harder to wake up in the morning, too."
He also said it is hard to expect children to sit still for that long without getting into trouble or falling asleep.
Dykeman said he's contacted the district about his concerns and has received only the generic response that the district is looking into it.
Craig Dykeman says his daughter, Keva, rides the bus 80 minutes each way to get to the K-12 Cambridge-Narrows school. (Submitted by Craig Dykeman)
A spokesperson confirmed the district has heard from parents about the bus route.
In an emailed statement, Jennifer Read said that in mid-September, the superintendent and other executives met to discuss the parents' concerns.
The Anglophone West School District covers nearly a third of the province, said Read, and more than 18,000 students are eligible for busing.
"Planning routes is a strategic endeavour, and changes have a domino effect," she wrote.
At their meeting, district officials looked at changing bus runs or times, Read said, but determined those options weren't "feasible with the resources in place and without adding time to other students' days."
Dykeman
says his daughter, pictured here on the first day of school, was
excited to start kindergarten, but now, with the long bus ride, isn’t as
thrilled. (Submitted by Craig Dykeman)
CBC News asked the district if the long route was a result of cuts to the bus fleet but did not receive a response before publication.
Kennedy said she tries to send her daughter with colouring books to keep her entertained, but it doesn't help with the exhaustion. She said her daughter would normally go outside and play with her pony after school, but no longer feels like doing even that.
She also said her daughter has told her the day and the bus ride are too long, and she doesn't want to do it anymore.
Caroline Price, a child and youth therapist based in Fredericton, said a reaction like this to going to school could be a result of some anxiety worsened by the long commute.
"You might see an increase in school avoidance, having a lot more tummy aches, more headaches, more tension, that kind of stuff, in order to avoid going to school altogether," she said.
Price said although nobody enjoys a long commute, for a child, it is even worse. With only 24 hours in a day and young kids needing nine to 12 hours of sleep a day, an especially long school day leaves little time for fun activities or family time.
An
Anglophone West School District spokesperson says the district covers
nearly one-third of New Brunswick, and more than 18,000 students are
eligible for busing. (Jordan Gill)
In her work, Price said, she has four pillars of health that she covers: sleep, nutrition, movement and self-care, which encompasses downtime and socialization.
If any of those pillars of health aren't met, she said, it creates an imbalance.
"This could be like, you know, having some increase in anxiety symptoms or increase in depressive symptoms, like, you know, just feeling more lethargic … feeling more tired, more sad, maybe we're less likely to engage in activities that we previously enjoyed," said Price.
"That kind of creates a bit of a cycle in terms of a declining mental health."
Caroline
Price, a child and youth therapist in Fredericton, says that with only
24 hours in a day and young kids needing nine to 12 hours of sleep a
day, an especially long school day leaves little time for fun or family
time. (Submitted by Caroline Price)
She said an especially long day could also affect a child's ability to sustain attention, especially for those with learning disabilities or diagnoses such as ADHD.
Kennedy and Dykeman also said that after school, the younger kids play outside for an hour every day until the older kids are done and ready to get on a bus, making for an even longer day. Kennedy said she understands that this is part of being at this school and she can accept it.
But she would like to see the district address the long bus ride and maybe add a bus or two for the area.
"If they could find ways to break up the routes so the kids can have shorter days on the bus, that would make a huge difference."
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Fredericton area awash in colours as 4 parties send MLAs to legislature
A look at some of the winners and losers in the ridings that make up Fredericton and surrounding areas
Elizabeth Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Sep 24, 2018 11:25 PM ADT
Gagetown-Petitcodiac
The PCs' Ross Wetmore won with 45.7 per cent of the vote, almost double his closest opponent, Craig Dykeman of the People's Alliance, at 23.5 per cent.
Back in third was Liberal Brigitte Noel, with 14.3 per cent, followed by Marilyn Merritt-Gray of the Greens, with 13.6 per cent, and New Democrat Anne Marie Richardson, with 2.1 per cent.
Liberals failed to hold Saint John Harbour
Cassidy Chisholm · CBC News · Posted: Sep 15, 2020 2:01 AM ADT
Gagetown-Petitcodiac
Progressive Conservative candidate Ross Wetmore was re-elected in the Gagetown-Petitcodiac riding.
Wetmore won 4,773 votes with all 25 polls reporting.
People's Alliance Craig Dykeman had 1,303 votes with Green candidate Marilyn Merritt-Gray close behind with 1,003 votes.
Liberal Jake Urquhart had 867 votes. NDP candidate Ryan Jewkes had 131 votes.
What a strange coincidence, 2.5 hours is about how long I'd be on a city bus to drive me 7 kilometers to work.
Reply to Robert Loblaw
But I thought the world was going to heck in a handbasket? Which is it?
Progressive Conservatives sweep southern New Brunswick ridings
Liberals failed to hold Saint John Harbour
The Tories were elected in all 12 ridings in the area, including Saint John Harbour, a riding known for close calls.
Saint John Harbour
Progressive Conservative candidate Arlene Dunn was elected in the Saint John Harbour riding Monday evening, taking the riding from the Liberal Party.
In 2018, Liberal candidate Gerry Lowe secured the riding by only 10 votes.
Lowe stepped down when the snap election was called so Alice McKim, a teacher at Saint John High School stepped up for the Liberals.
PC candidate Arlene Dunn won handily in Saint John Harbour, making the PC sweep of the south of the province complete. (Dunn's the one, Facebook)
But the Liberals could not even hold onto second place behind the PCs. Green Party candidate Brent Harris had that honour.
In the end, Harris lost to Dunn 2,181 to 1,224, with all 31 polls reporting.
Saint John Harbour was the only riding in the area to turn from red to blue. All the other ridings stayed firmly with the Progressive Conservatives, including Quispamsis, the riding Premier Blaine Higgs calls home.
Quispamsis
Higgs was re-elected in his home riding early Monday evening, setting the tone for the rest of the night.
He won 5,697 votes with all 28 polls reporting.
Liberal Robert Hunt won 1,225 votes. Green candidate Addison Fach had 528 votes. New Democratic Party candidate Caitlin Grogan had 501. People's Alliance candidate Sara Hall won 414 votes.
Saint Croix
Progressive Conservative Kathy Bockus was elected in the Saint Croix riding. She stepped into the role after MLA Greg Thompson died in 2019.
Bockus won 3,570 votes with 36 polls reporting, edging out People's Alliance candidate Rod Cumberland by just more than 1,000 votes.
Green Party candidate Kim Reeder won 1,238 votes. John Gardner, who was tossed from the Liberal team after the discovery of some anti-LGBTQ social media posts, picked up 401 votes and NDP candidate Brad McKinney had 147 votes.
Gagetown-Petitcodiac
Progressive Conservative candidate Ross Wetmore was re-elected in the Gagetown-Petitcodiac riding.
Wetmore won 4,773 votes with all 25 polls reporting.
People's Alliance Craig Dykeman had 1,303 votes with Green candidate Marilyn Merritt-Gray close behind with 1,003 votes.
Liberal Jake Urquhart had 867 votes. NDP candidate Ryan Jewkes had 131 votes.
Sussex-Fundy-St. Martins
PC Tammy Scott-Wallace was elected in the Sussex-Fundy-St. Martins riding. She replaces longtime PC MLA Bruce Northrup after he stepped down earlier this year.
Scott-Wallace had 4,366 votes with all 26 polls reporting. People's Alliance's Jim Bedford came in second place with 1,321 votes.
Liberal Cully Robinson had 971 votes, trailed closely by Green candidate Tim Thompson with 969. NDP candidate Jonas Lanz had 129 votes.
Hampton
PC Gary Crossman was re-elected in the Hampton riding with 4,351 votes with all 27 polls reporting.
Liberal Carley Parish was second with 1,084 votes. Green candidate John Carl Sabine had 816 votes, followed by People's Alliance candidate Sharon Bradley-Munn with 687 votes and NDP candidate Alex White with 251.
Rothesay
PC Ted Flemming was re-elected in the Rothesay riding. Flemming has been the MLA for the area since 2012.
His 4,265 votes was almost 3,000 more than second place Liberal Jason Hickey's 1,463.
Green candidate Ann McAllister had 719 votes. People's Alliance candidate Mike Griffin had 413 votes.
Kings Centre
PC Bill Oliver was re-elected in the Kings Centre riding with 4,583 votes with all 34 polls reporting.
Green candidate Bruce Dryer came in second with 1,006 votes. Liberal Paul Adams had 911 votes. People's Alliance candidate William Edgett was fourth with 693 votes followed by NDP candidate Margaret Anderson Kilfoil with 254 votes.
Saint John East
PC Glen Savoie was re-elected in the Saint John East riding. He has been MLA in the area since 2014.
Savoie had 3,507 votes with all 30 polls reporting, while Liberal Phil Comeau trailed behind with 1,639 votes.
People's Alliance Patrick Kemp had 434 votes. Green candidate Gerald Irish managed 394 votes with NDP candidate Josh Floyd at 248 votes.
Portland-Simonds
PC Trevor Holder was re-elected in the Portland-Simonds riding. Holder has more than two decades as MLA, holding this riding and the previous Saint John Portland riding since 1999.
He had 3,170 votes with all 31 polls reporting.
Liberal Tim Jones had 1,654 votes. Green candidate Stefan Warner was third with 483 votes. People's Alliance candidate Darella Jackson had 282 votes. NDP candidate Erik Heinze-Milne had just 164 votes.
Saint John Lancaster
PC Dorothy Shephard was re-elected in Saint John Lancaster with 3,560 votes with all 33 polls reporting. She has held the riding since 2010.
Liberal Sharon Teare came second with 1,471 votes. Green candidate Joanna Killen was third with 938 votes. People's Alliance candidate Paul Seelye won 394 votes. NDP candidate Don Durant was fifth with 201 votes.
Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West
PC Andrea Anderson-Mason was re-elected in the Fundy-The Isles-Saint John West riding.
Anderson-Mason had 4,740 votes with all 35 polls reporting in a landslide.
She surpassed second place Liberal candidate Tony Mann by more than 4,000 votes. His 726 votes kept him slightly ahead of People's Alliance candidate Vincent Edgett with 688 votes, while Green candidate Lois Mitchell was close behind with 686 votes. NDP candidate Sharon Greenlaw won 291 votes.
New Brunswick Votes 2020 Results: Watch returns come in live on our interactive results page.
Fredericton area awash in colours as 4 parties send MLAs to legislature
A look at some of the winners and losers in the ridings that make up Fredericton and surrounding areas
The capital area saw it all on Monday night — a lot of blue, but also some red, green and purple.
The Progressive Conservatives claimed five of the nine ridings in and around Fredericton, the Green Party and Liberals took one each, and the People's Alliance won two.
In the previous legislature, the Progressive Conservatives held seven of nine ridings in the area, after the Green Party claimed the Fredericton South seat and the Liberals won in Fredericton North.
This time, two formerly PC ridings went to the People's Alliance.
Although there was some variety in the top four places across the nine ridings, the NDP consistently came in fifth, with its best showing in Carleton-York, where it won three per cent of the vote.
People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin was an early winner Monday night in Fredericton-Grand Lake. (Jonathan Collicott/CBC News)
Fredericton-Grand Lake
Early on election night, Alliance Leader Kris Austin captured Fredericton-Grand Lake, beating PC Pam Lynch by more than 2,000 votes and collecting 54.6 per cent of the vote. Lynch had held the seat since 2010.
Liberal Wendy Tremblay came third with 10.0 per cent of the vote, Dan Weston of the Green Party got 5.4 per cent, and Glenna Hanley of the NDP 1.3 per cent.
In Fredericton York
Rick DeSaulniers of the People's Alliance won 33.7 per cent of the vote, defeating Kirk MacDonald, who'd held the seat for the Tories since 1999 and won 30.0 per cent of the vote.
Also running were Liberal Amber Bishop, with 18.4 per cent, Amanda Wildeman of the Green Party with 15.5 per cent, and Evelyne Godfrey of the NDP with 1.1
Fredericton South
Green Party Leader David Coon was re-elected in Fredericton South with 56.3 per cent of the vote, with the second-place finisher, Liberal Susan Holt, far behind with 20.1 per cent of the vote.
Scott Smith of the PCs was next with 13.7 per cent, followed by Bonnie Mae Clark, at 8.1 per cent, and Chris Durrant of the NDP, at 1.7.
Fredericton North
Liberal Stephen Horsman, the deputy premier and minister of families and children, led the way with 31.6 per cent of the vote, 261 votes ahead of Progressive Conservative Jill Green.
In third place was Lynn King, with 21.4 per cent, followed by Tamara White at 17 per cent, and Scarlett Tays of the NDP, with 1.8 per cent.
Former NDP leader turned Progressive Conservative Dominic Cardy wins Fredericton-West Hanwell. (Ed Hunter/CBC)
Fredericton West-Hanwell
Dominic Cardy, a former leader of the New Brunswick NDP, grabbed 31.8 per cent of the vote to win Fredericton West-Hanwell for the Progressive Conservatives, ahead of Liberal Cindy Miles, with 27.9 per cent.
Jason Paull of the People's Alliance was next with 20.9 per cent of the vote, followed by Green candidate Susan Jonah with 17.3, and Olivier Hébert of the NDP with two per cent.
Gagetown-Petitcodiac
The PCs' Ross Wetmore won with 45.7 per cent of the vote, almost double his closest opponent, Craig Dykeman of the People's Alliance, at 23.5 per cent.
Back in third was Liberal Brigitte Noel, with 14.3 per cent, followed by Marilyn Merritt-Gray of the Greens, with 13.6 per cent, and New Democrat Anne Marie Richardson, with 2.1 per cent.
New Maryland-Sunbury
Jeff Carr won again in New Maryland-Sunbury for the Progressive Conservatives with 41.2 per cent. People's Alliance candidate Morris Shannon and Liberal Alex Scholten were next with 23.7 per cent each.
Green candidate Jenica Atwin got 9.7 per cent, and New Democrat Mackenzie Thomason 1.5 per cent.
- Some Fredericton Hanwell-West voters ready for a third party
- Tight race, big base: A look at Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton
- Fredericton South: What civil servants and students have in common
Carleton-York
PC Carl Urquhart was re-elected in Carleton-York with 37.2 per cent of the vote, ahead of Gary Lemmon of the People's Alliance, with 30.8 per cent.
In third was Liberal Jackie Morehouse, with 18.5 per cent, Green Sue Rickards with 10 per cent, and Robert Kitchen of the NDP with three.
Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton
Mary Wilson hung onto Oromocto-Lincoln-Fredericton for the Tories with 32 per cent of the vote, in the first election since 1993 when Jody Carr hasn't run.
Star candidate John Fife, a retired army colonel, was 93 votes behind, winning 30.7 per cent of the vote. Next was Craig Rector of the People's Alliance, with 23.2 per cent of the vote, followed by Tom McLean of the Greens with 12 per cent, and Justin Young of the NDP with 2.1.
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Clarifications
- A previous version of this story said Jody Carr started running in provincial politics in 1991. In fact, he started in 1993 and was first elected in 1999.Sep 25, 2018 9:02 AM AT
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