Milton mom questions how non-verbal child was able to board city bus, GO train alone

Talia Ricci · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 05, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Valerie Loewen panicked erstwhile she woke successful aboriginal April to find her 9-year-old son William had near their Milton, Ont., location by himself.

William is autistic and non-verbal, and connected April 2 helium managed to evade the family's neglect safes to support him wrong the house, perchance by getting retired a backmost door. 

Loewen's hubby instantly started searching for William portion she contacted police. William, they would aboriginal learn, had gotten onto a Milton metropolis bus, and past a GO Transit bid bound for Toronto. 

Peel Regional Police officers co-ordinated with Halton police and brought William location respective hours later, but the concern has left Loewen shaken and looking for answers.

"There's nary crushed he should person gotten immoderate farther than the autobus stop, and I conscionable don't privation that to hap again to him oregon to immoderate different kid oregon susceptible person," Loewen told CBC Toronto. 

Loewen, arsenic good arsenic the Ontario Autism Coalition, accidental the incident shows the value of watching retired for susceptible radical successful the community. Meanwhile, municipality and transit officials accidental they are some looking into what happened. 

Loewen said she was told William was recovered by a GO unit member who identified him arsenic a kid who should not beryllium unsocial connected the train.

For its part, Metrolinx confirmed successful a connection that erstwhile the kid boarded a bid astatine the station, they were instantly reported arsenic unaccompanied by its lawsuit work ambassador and a Metrolinx customer protective serviceman was dispatched.

"The serviceman stayed with the kid to guarantee their information and coordinated with Halton Regional Police Services to guarantee the kid was safely reunited with their parent," the connection said.

Loewen has much questions for the Town of Milton. She said she felt dismissed successful her connection with transit and governmental officials successful the weeks pursuing the incident.

Tony D'Alessandro, the town's manager of transit services, said the municipality understands the seriousness of the situation but can't stock details, citing privacy.

"The municipality contracts its Milton Transit work to a third-party provider, which has protocols successful spot to assistance guarantee the information of each riders, including children and susceptible individuals," D'Alessandro said successful a statement.

"We are moving intimately with the work supplier to code immoderate gaps and instrumentality due enactment arsenic required."

'It breaks my bosom that radical couldn't attraction that day'

Autistic radical person a tendency to tally away, said Bruce McIntosh, manager of the Ontario Autism Coalition.

He said it's something helium experienced erstwhile his ain kids were young.

"This is autism, there's often conscionable a deficiency of knowing of danger. So it's up to the remainder of us," he said.

Loewen's panic was justified, helium said, arsenic autistic radical person died aft going missing.

While Loewen was hoping for much compassion and accountability from officials, she yet hopes that sharing her communicative results successful much radical paying attraction to those who mightiness beryllium susceptible astir them.

"It breaks my bosom that radical couldn't attraction that day or halt for five minutes of their time to assistance support him from getting excessively far or, God forbid, worse," she said.

"Even if conscionable 1 idiosyncratic sees this and it changes the mode they respond adjacent time, that's all I privation to see."