A Saskatchewan school bus driver, who was transporting 50 children shortly before his arrest, is facing impaired driving related charges.

On Nov. 19, Dillon RCMP responded to a report of an impaired driver on the Buffalo River Dene Nation.

An investigation determined that security officers on the first nation and school employees observed signs that the bus driver was intoxicated.

According to RCMP, the officers and employees attempted to stop the man from driving the bus but were unsuccessful.

Officers immediately began working to find the bus to ensure the safety of the 50 students inside.

Police managed to locate the bus a short time later – no children were on the bus at that point. RCMP learned that they had been dropped off along the bus’s route.

Officers at the scene observed signs that the driver was intoxicated and arrested him.

Continued investigation and consultation with Crown prosecutors led to a 45-year-old man from Buffalo River Dene Nation to be charged with one count of operating a conveyance while impaired and one count of operating a conveyance with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 80 mg per 100 ml of blood (.08 BAC).

The man’s drivers license was also suspended pending the outcome in the courts.

The accused is set to appear in provincial court in Dillon on Dec. 18.

Buffalo River Dene Nation is located 530 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon.