Rick DonaldsonWhen Richard Donaldson turned off his office light for the last time on Friday, he took with him many good memories after 18 years at the helm of the province’s school-bus contractor association. But, as he left, he was reminded there is plenty of work left to be done.
The Ontario School Bus Association (OSBA) won’t be replacing Donaldson but instead is implementing a new leadership direction by working with Michelle O’Bright, event director for the Ontario Transportation Expo, to handle all day-to-day membership and administrative affairs. This spring, the association also recently elected Perry Ferguson as president. Ferguson is also owner, president and CEO of Voyageur Transportation and has served as an OSBA board member for the past three years.
While he called his 18-year tenure a “great run,” Donaldson said he does regret stepping down while Ontario’s contractors are fragmented due to the rise of competitive procurement that the Ontario government implemented about five years ago. This ended the previous practice of “evergreen contracts,” or agreements between school boards and contractor companies that were automatically renewed over little more than a handshake.
That has meant a big change in how many OSBA members do business, and with most change comes new challenges. These have included lawsuits brought by contractors against the Ontario government and school boards alleging unfair bidding practices, which Donaldson said he and the current OSBA board disagree with. Instead, he said OSBA has championed open dialogue with the provincial government and a “go slow, get it right” approach to implementing competitive procurement and to improveing the RFP process. As a result, several companies left OSBA over the past year to form their own association to oppose the new regulations.
“(OSBA) said we want to be a part of the process going forward that’s transparent and accountable. Let’s work together (with the government),” said Donaldson. “Others decided no, they wanted to fight this thing and go back to the way things were supposed to be.”
Out of that regret over OSBA splintering, Donaldson said that a silver lining has been convincing the government to grant $200,000 over the next three years to train school-bus companies on how to write RFPs and compete for their business under the new regulations.
“No one is protected anymore. You need to be able to compete and be prepared and trained to compete…no industry is immune,” Donaldson added.
He said a court hearing over the issue that was originally scheduled for June has been postponed until the fall.
Meanwhile, though Donaldson has formally retired, he said he will continue to serve consult OSBA on funding and regulatory affairs, issues he knows well beyond his more than 18 years with the association. From 1971 until 1994, he worked at Queen’s Park, the center of Ontario’s government in Toronto. During his political career, Donaldson served as chief of staff for the attorney general and ministeries of municipal affairs, labor and education. It was at the latter that he first dealt with OSBA.
“(As chief of staff) you are dealing with dozens and dozens of issues and associations, but found with OSBA, the first thing that struck me was the commitment of the school bus industry,” he said. “They wore child safety on their sleeves. The busing business but all about safety.”
Even as he looks forward to being a first-time grandfather this fall and brushing up on his golf game, he just can’t quite leave an industry that has create a special place in his heart. And he can’t leave the people.
“I certainly have made a lot of friends,” he concluded.
