Canadian Pupil Transportation Conference to Educate, Entertain Attendees

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Pupil transportation professionals from across Canada will gather here next week for the country’s biggest school bus industry event: the Canadian Pupil Transportation Conference (CPTC).

The conference convenes every two years. Manitoba is the host for the 2016 edition, to be held April 16 to 21 at the Victoria Inn Hotel and Convention Centre in Winnipeg.

The last edition of the CPTC took place in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 2014.

This year's conference sessions will cover a wide range of topics, including special-needs transportation; Wi-Fi on school buses; last year’s fatal school bus-freight train collision near Larimore, North Dakota; the carbon tax in British Columbia; alternative fuels; contract busing; and driverless cars.

There will also be a general session on the 2016 update of the Canadian Standards Association D250 standards for school bus construction.

Among the lineup of keynote speakers are Jon Montgomery, an Olympic gold medal-winning skeleton racer and host of “The Amazing Race Canada”; Matt Federoff, the chief information officer for Vail (Ariz.) School District; and Kim Ratz, a motivational speaker and singer-songwriter.

Also on the agenda for the CPTC is a one-day trade show, which will be held on April 19.

The conference will offer a variety of entertainers, including musician Ed Goertzen; comedians John Ljunberg, Matt Falk, and Big Daddy Tazz; magician Chris Funk, and the aboriginal dance group Asham Stompers.

CPTC attendees can also register for a four-hour course from the National Association for Pupil Transportation’s Professional Development Series, “Communications Skills for Transportation Professionals,” which will be held on April 17.

As previously reported, Thomas Built Buses will offer its Thomas Built Institute Service Training during the CPTC from April 19 to 21.

For more information and to register for the CPTC, go to www.cptc2016.ca.