Parents of Ontario boy with autism fatally hit by bus call for more special needs resources

TORONTO — The parents of a seven-year-old boy with autism who was fatally struck by a city bus in Hamilton last month say their son should have been at school the day of the accident but was sent home because of a lack of special needs resources.

Chris and Emily Simao say their son Max, who had autism and was non-verbal, was put on a modified schedule at school in October after they were told there was no longer an educational assistant available to work with him.

Max was struck by a Hamilton Street Railway bus the afternoon of Dec. 11 and later died from his injuries in hospital.

Kate Dudley-Logue, vice-president of the Ontario Autism Coalition, says thousands of students with special education needs are not attending school for full days, with the primary reason being that the school lacks the resources to support them.

Dudley-Logue is calling on the Ford government to provide more funding for schools, including special education workers.

The Simao family says Max loved going to school but was denied the right to an education when he was put on the modified schedule, which they called “a direct result of chronic underfunding.”

Premier Doug Ford said at an unrelated press conference Wednesday that the Ontario government is providing “an unprecedented amount” of funding to hire educators.

Hamilton police have said that based on witness statements and video gathered at the scene, investigators do not believe that the actions of the bus driver or the child’s caregiver contributed to the “devastating” incident.

Police have said the bus driver remained at the scene and co-operated with police.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press