FALL RIVER: The Lower Sackville man charged with drugs and firearms related offences was a school bus driver for the Lockview Family of Schools, a spokesperson confirmed.
Parents of students who attended Lockview High, Georges P. Vanier High and Waverley Memorial had posted and messaged the Laker News after RCMP issued a release on the arrest of a 50-year-old Lower Sackville man.
The Laker News also ran the story on the man’s arrest, before it was known about the connection to the Fall River area.
A couple of the parents wondered why it wasn’t communicated immediately to parents of students on the bus route he drove, so The Laker News reached out to HRCE seeking a few answers.
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Lindsey Bunin said the information was relayed to parents as soon as they were aware.
“We were made aware that an employee with one of our student transportation providers, who serviced the Lockview Family of Schools, has recently been charged by police,’ said Bunin on Jan. 28 in an emailed response to The Laker News.
“As soon as our contract service provider learned of these charges, a new driver was assigned to the route.”
She said the man is no longer a bus driver for the provider.
“Families can be assured that the individual is no longer driving a school bus,’ she said. “Once the information was confirmed, the change was communicated to principals and then to families.”
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Police say that Terry Michel Danny Cousineau, 50, has been charged with:
- Possession of a Controlled Substance (Cocaine and Hydromorphone) for the Purpose of Trafficking (two counts)
- Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
- Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
- Careless Use of a Firearm (eight counts)
- Careless Storage of a Firearm (eight counts)
- Transfer of a Firearm Without Authority (two counts)
- Failure to Report Losing a Firearm (two count)
Cousineau appeared in court, on January 17, and was remanded into custody. He made another court appearance on Jan. 19.
A warrant was also executed on a vehicle located in a parking lot on Dispensing Way, in relation to an ongoing drugs and weapons investigation that began in November of 2023.
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Bunin said that HRCE bussing is contracted out to three different providers. She was asked about background checks.
“School bus drivers are thoroughly vetted, and the process includes a criminal record check, vulnerable sector check and child abuse registry check,” she said.
“These standard background checks are kept up to date throughout an employee’s tenure with the service provider with an annual offence declaration.”
