Despite being aware of two separate fires and one smoke-filled bus, Transport Canada only launched a comprehensive defect investigation into a model of Lion-manufactured school buses earlier this month, in the wake of a third fire.
The investigation comes nine months after a LionC model bus first went up in flames.
The department’s investigation was launched after one of the buses caught fire in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood on Sept. 9. The five children aboard and the school bus driver were not harmed.
A spokesperson for the city’s fire service said the driver had just turned on the heating system and noticed smoke coming out of the vents. He pulled over and got the kids to safety before flames consumed the vehicle.
The fire prompted the province to halt the service of 1,200 Lion school buses throughout Quebec, pending “preventative inspections.”
Following this, Lion buses were grounded for inspection in several provinces across Canada.
“Our defect investigation remains ongoing and includes vehicle inspections, continued engagement with the manufacturer and vehicle fleets, and the review of emerging data,” Transport Canada wrote to CBC News in an email.
But CBC News has learned the department was already aware of three prior incidents involving the LionC school bus model — dating back to November 2024 and all involving fires or significant smoke — yet did not launch a formal defect investigation until this month.
“Totally unacceptable,” said Katherine Korakakis, president of the English Parents’ Committee Association of Quebec.
“I’m just shocked that they wouldn’t have acted beforehand. And thank God the stars aligned and nobody got hurt, but there’s just too many close calls.”
The first incident happened in Ascot Corner, Que., on Nov. 26, 2024. As reported by Radio-Canada at the time, firefighters said the fire started in the vehicle’s heating system. The driver was able to get out of the Lion-manufactured bus on time, and there were no students on board.
Then, in Brossard, Que., on Jan. 8, 2025, there was another problem with a LionC bus which, according to Transport Canada, “involved an electrical component overheating and producing significant smoke, which prompted the driver to stop the vehicle.”
“After the vehicle was shut down and electrical power was cut, the smoke subsided.”
Less than a week later, on Jan. 13, 2025, another LionC school bus caught fire shortly after breaking down in Huntsville, Ont. More than 70 students were evacuated and no injuries were reported.
These incidents all occurred within a 49-day span, and all affected the same vehicle model from the same manufacturer: the LionC school bus.
Transport Canada’s defect investigation is focused on the three prior events, and the one in Montreal this month, but it was only launched in the wake of the most recent fire.
The department has confirmed to CBC News that it knew about those previous incidents, but the information didn’t originally come from the manufacturer.
“Transport Canada became aware of the events through the Public Complaint Program, which allows consumers, fleet operators, police, first responders and the public to report potential safety defects,” the department wrote in an email.
“Transport Canada initiated its own analysis of each event, with Lion’s co-operation, after becoming aware of these events.”
CBC News asked the bus manufacturer, Lion, what actions the company took in the aftermath of these first three incidents.
In a response from SYRUS, a consulting firm that is handling media relations on behalf of the manufacturer, Lion declined to answer that question.
“We remain fully engaged with Transport Canada as their investigation continues, and we will continue to take any necessary actions to ensure the safety and reliability of our school buses,” a spokesperson wrote in an email.
Meanwhile, the Transport Canada defect investigation notice calls on fleet operators to perform immediate inspections of their LionC buses.
It also advises bus drivers that if they “see smoke or smell anything burning, stop the bus in a safe place, evacuate everyone and, if it’s safe, turn off the high-voltage and 12-volt power supplies.”
Andrew Jones, owner of Transport Scolaire Élite and Autobus Beaconsfield, believes fleet operators with LionC buses should have been alerted earlier.
“The memos that we received the weekend after this [Montreal] fire, I would have appreciated receiving them much sooner,” Jones said. “I don’t know a single operator who wouldn’t have taken it seriously.”
Transport Canada says it looks into “public complaints related to motor vehicle safety,” like the ones the department received about LionC buses in the last nine months.
“When information indicates a potential trend involving a vehicle safety issue, Transport Canada initiates a defect investigation to determine whether a safety defect exists,” the department added in a statement to CBC News.
“What else do you need?” Korakakis said in response. “I see the trend, and it’s not even my job to do this.”
“I think it’s just a lot of talking, and not taking accountability.”
We asked Transport Canada if, until the most recent fire on Sept. 9, the department determined there was no information pointing to a “potential trend” with LionC buses.
“To better understand certain issues, Transport Canada may launch a formal defect investigation,” a Transport Canada spokesperson wrote back.
“While the exact root causes of the three school bus fires and one overheating event remain undetermined due to the extent of the damage, there were commonalities among the incidents,” the department added. “All incidents originated in the dashboard area and appear related to the heating and ventilation system.”
“As a result, Transport Canada launched a formal defect investigation following the most recent incident.”
CBC News requested an interview with federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon to discuss the Lion school bus incidents as well as Transport Canada’s response.
The minister wasn’t made available for an interview, but written answers to our questions were offered by his office.
Insofar as school buses are concerned, we asked if manufacturers should be more proactive in reporting safety incidents to Transport Canada, and if regulatory changes are needed to make that happen.
We also asked if Transport Canada should be more proactive in initiating defect investigations for school buses.
“These incidents underscore the importance of the manufacturers’ duty to promptly report any safety defects. The minister believes this duty is crucial to ensuring the safety of all Canadians, particularly when it comes to school buses,” MacKinnon’s office wrote back.
“The minister expects vehicle manufacturers to treat all incidents with the utmost seriousness and urgency.”
CBC News asked Lion if it notified the government and bus owners of a possible safety defect after the first two LionC fires. The company did not respond.
“Moving forward, if there are any other issues with the vehicle, it would be nice to know about them beforehand,” Jones said.
“What we need to do is make sure that manufacturers are held accountable to high safety standards,” he added. “We’re not in the business of putting people’s lives in jeopardy here.”
