A school bus driver has been axed after Yukon RCMP found them with a blood alcohol level in the 鈥渨arning range鈥� while driving students from Golden Horn Elementary School. 

That鈥檚 according to an email addressed to parents and caregivers from Golden Horn school principal Jesse Ward on the afternoon of May 13. The email was subsequently provided to the News. 

On May 9, the previous Friday, RCMP got the report concerning a school bus driver transporting students from the school, Ward wrote. 

The driver, who was immediately taken off duty and replaced with another driver, no longer works for Standard Bus, as noted in the email. The driver in question isn鈥檛 further identified in the email. 

The school and Yukon鈥檚 Department of Education are working with Standard Bus and RCMP after immediately being made aware of the situation.

An email statement received early May 14 from a Standard Bus spokesperson notes the company is working with police. The driver was immediately fired for not meeting the company鈥檚 policy around safety standards. The email notes a commitment to safety is part of a school bus driver鈥檚 employment.

The principal鈥檚 email encourages parents and caregivers to speak with their children, if they were on the bus, so they can share their feelings, ask questions and feel supported at home. 

The email notes a team will be in place to support affected students at Golden Horn school. 

The bus route won鈥檛 be impacted, per the email. The bus will run as usual with a different driver.

A statement from a Department of Education spokesperson notes the department and police were notified right away about the incident.  

The statement indicates Standard Bus promptly got a replacement driver to complete the route. The bus company鈥檚 management was already on site when the police arrived, per the statement. 

RCMP is continuing to investigate, according to the department. 

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com