Mother says daughter forgotten on bus
A Regina woman says her three-year-old daughter was left alone on a bus for nearly four hours last Wednesday.
Destiny Stonechild arrived at her daughter Sequiona’s daycare centre at 6 p.m. that day, where her she was supposed to return to after attending the aboriginal headstart program at the Aboriginal Family Service Centre.
But Sequiona never got off the bus when it arrived at the daycare.
Stonechild went back to the service centre, where she got a janitor to let her into the building to search. During all this, Stonechild was also on the phone with Mobile Crisis Regina. She eventually got hold of the centre’s director, who contacted the bus driver. When the driver checked the bus, Stonechild said they found her daughter, still strapped into her car seat.
Stonechild estimates her daughter was in the bus from when it left the centre at 3 p.m. until roughly 7:15 p.m.
“She kept waking up and screaming for help and there was no one around,” said Stonechild.
Stonechild said at one point her daughter tried to get the attention of a man walking his dog, but he was unable to hear her.
She said Sequiona has woken up screaming at night several times since the incident.
“The fact that his happened just blows my mind. I can’t even get in my vehicle with my daughter without her freaking out,” said Stonechild.
Stonechild said she had a meeting with a member of the centre, and was told it would be changing its policy so two people would be on the bus.
She said the centre also told her they would arrange for her daughter to see a therapist, but said she felt the incident was “shrugged off.”
Stonechild said she would like to see the driver reprimanded and the centre to follow through with changing its policies.
Delora Parisian, executive director for the Aboriginal Family Service Centre, would not comment specifically on the event because of confidentiality reasons.
“All that I can say is that an incident did happen, and we are now dealing with it and we are addressing the situation,” said Parisian.
Parisian would not comment on whether the driver of the bus was still working with the centre, but said the incident is being investigated.
Despite how badly the event scared her daughter, Stonechild wants her to continue participating in the headstart program because of the First Nations traditions it teaches young kids, such as smudging ceremonies.
“I love the program. I want my daughter to have her culture instilled in her and that’s the only place that teaches her that,” she said.
As for getting her there, the bus isn’t an option for now.