cleaner

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Ontario Northland

A typical day at work
A typical day is highly unpredictable. You can report to work on time and still wait hours before starting your route due to late buses or equipment availability. If one bus is delayed, it often cascades and affects the entire fleet. I have waited up to three hours at work before beginning my actual driving duties. This unpredictability makes planning your day or personal life nearly impossible. --


What I believe I learned
The job itself is straightforward and not particularly difficult. I learned patience, independence, and how essential this service is for many passengers. Most passengers and fellow drivers are generally respectful and easy to work with. However, very little of the learning came from formal training or management support. --


Training
Training was disorganized and unprofessional. There were frequent days where there was no bus available to train on, leading to wasted time. Training focused heavily on peripheral or theoretical topics that don’t reflect the day-to-day realities of motorcoach driving, while practical, real-world preparation was lacking. There was little structure, consistency, or professionalism throughout the training process. --


Management
Management was the most disappointing part of the job. What was presented during the interview did not reflect the reality of the workplace. Communication is poor and largely one-directional, usually through bulletins, emails, or random phone calls pointing out mistakes. My direct supervisors did not introduce themselves or make themselves visible during training. Despite an “open door” policy, I was never shown where their offices were or encouraged to engage in meaningful dialogue. This creates a strong power imbalance where employees feel monitored rather than supported. --


Workplace culture
The culture feels punitive rather than collaborative. Mistakes are often addressed through corrective Q&A-style punishments instead of coaching or constructive feedback. Combined with the lack of face-to-face communication, this leads to a toxic environment where employees feel constantly watched and hesitant to ask questions or raise concerns. --


Equipment and operations
Equipment is often old, unavailable, or not ready for service. Multiple times I did not have a bus assigned and had to wait for one to come off a route. This contributes to late departures and unclean passenger areas, which reflects poorly on drivers despite being an operational failure. These issues add unnecessary stress to an already demanding schedule. --


Work-life balance
Work-life balance is extremely poor. You are essentially always on call, and the two designated days off in a two-week period are unreliable. Having a social life or maintaining personal commitments is very difficult. Schedules are unpredictable, and long waits or last-minute changes are common. --


The hardest part of the job
The hardest part is dealing with the constant uncertainty, lack of communication, and feeling unsupported by management. The work itself is not the problem — the systems and leadership around it are. --


The most enjoyable part of the job
The most enjoyable part is the driving itself and interacting with passengers and fellow drivers. The frontline staff are generally kind, professional, and doing their best despite systemic issues. --


Overall
Ontario Northland Motor Coach could be a decent job if management, training, communication, and scheduling were significantly improved. Unfortunately, the disconnect between what is promised during hiring and the reality of the workplace, combined with poor communication, punitive culture, and lack of work-life balance, made this a very negative experience for me

A dedicated hard working young man who had a strong passion for the motorcoach industry who also brought a lot of knowledge and commercial driving experience to Ontario Northland.
 I moved my whole life up to North Bay to start my dream job. Risked my relationship with my fiance and my family to come up to the great North by MYSELF and start fresh for this company. Put in the hours through the darkest of times of the pandemic. Running nurses and doctors throughout Ontario. Signed up to help spray, clean and sanitize all the buses aswell just so I could make sure all the passengers were safe from the high traffic areas of the coach. I felt like I was doing my part. We were the only coach company really running in Ontario and I'm glad I could help anyway that I could. 

The amount of pride I had consisted of polishing my boots 3 times a week, Ironing and pressing my pants and shirts nearly everyday, always wearing a tie and just overall being the best most safest, friendliest, sharpest and helpful coach operator anyone has ever seen. The company even published an article about me and my journey. I got along with everyone and recieved many compliments while I was there helping move the folks safely throughout the province during the most scariest times we ever witnessed. Like I mentioned I was a hero of the road.

As the pandemic started to calm down and we upped our passenger count it was clear more people felt safe and we seen an increase in ridership. Rumour went around that a mandatory .... was on the horizon and because of personal beliefs I was abit worried but I was reassured I would be okay...besides all of us just got through the worst of it so it wouldnt make sense to push it now.

Fast forward and I was wrong. A place where I dreamed of working was now being pushed by the government to force it. Nobody really stuck up and I felt like an outcast. Alot of bullying began. I seen the true colours of some of my coworkers. All I could think of was the health staff that I helped move and all the passengers who needed to go to the doctors it was ME who moved them but now i was the enemy. So from hero to zero that was the end i was forced to jump ship because a company who very well states is an equal opportunity coerced everybody into it..But me. That's not equal in my eyes. That's discrimination. I will never forget this experience and what it has done to me mentally and financially. I would of hoped more people would of stuck up for there fellow humans but there was nothing. Thank you for this experience Ontario Northland.

Reasonable compensation for the area but could be better, unionized, pension, with benefits package (health, dental, prescription) So a plus but not quite 100% like it used to be. And not till 7 months in. Graduated pay scale as well starting at 21.98$ for Production workers and caping at about 26$ over 4 years (26$ being the former starting wage for production) Down to earth co-workers For the most part and Some opportunity for advancement with apprenticeships and management/cell leader roles over time but it’s competitive and not always offered. ability to bid into other positions after a 65 day prob period. Which helps keep things fresh. But it’s all seniority based. So a lot of times junior guys are forced Into less then desirable positions. Easy enough work. Though And respectable 8-4 hours. But there is a 4-midnight and again the most junior would probably end up eating it. Overall a good place to work but I feel like we’ve lost alot. Hopefully this changes at the next negotiations.

Ontario Northland is composed of an incredible group of people who work hard together to improve the lives of the people, businesses and communities of Northern Ontario.  Continuous improvement is not just a concept, it is what runs through the entire organization.  Senior management supports innovation and genuinely tries to ensure the right people are in the right positions and are able to advance their careers.

I truly enjoyed my time at Ontario Northland and enhanced my professional qualifications more than I thought possible at this stage in my career.  

Finally, there is a lot to be said for working for a real railway - there is just something about having an office that fronts on a railyard where you have the luxury of hearing the freight trains being made and all the other rail related noise, all the while working on the legal work that helps to keep the trains and the buses running.

Unfortunately, some of the leadership team located at the their head office site lack direction and the ability to lead effectively.  As a new hire it was very difficult to establish my role and work collaboratively with the Director of the department given her inability to communicate clearly and her poor leadership skills.  Not only was the communication minimal there was very little effort to drive positive collaboration and connectivity amongst the group and in fact the environment was quite toxic.  Furthermore, a substantial amount dollars were waisted due to the absence of a proper strategic plan.   When approached about putting a goal driven plan in place the response was bleak and team members were left confused.

It became quite clear early on as to why there really was no team established and that the department was very transient,  this was simply due to poor leadership. 

A typical day at work would be a fast pace and high stress environment, dealing with arrivals and departures of buses.  Making boarding calls, selling tickets, shipping freight.  Work place culture, would be like any other workplace, wearing our uniforms and proper footwear to insure safety in the work place.  The hardest part of my work would be dealing with upset customers, yelling and cursing at you.  Either because they are upset because they cannot get a refund on a reserved ticket or there is no seating available.  No matter how calm you stay or how nice you try to explain to them..they will still yell and curse.  The most enjoyable part for me would be gong above and beyond for a customer and making their day.  They thank you and tell you " you are the best".  I'm just glad I could make them smile and make their day.

Every day is different with plenty of unexpected challenges due to the geography and climate, that help keep things interesting. Lots of opportunities for on the job training and skills improvement. Management effectiveness continues to improve, with a collaborative team environment. Many employees find the workplace to be like an extended family. Staffing levels are sometimes an issue during peak work season, requiring extra effort and teamwork.It is highly rewarding to know that your work directly supports the communities that you live in and around.

The most poorly managed environments I’ve ever experienced. Leadership lacks transparency, accountability, and basic respect for employees. Decisions are made without communication, favoritism is rampant, and constructive feedback is often ignored or punished.

The culture is toxic—stress levels are high, morale is low, and turnover is constant because employees don’t feel valued or supported. Instead of collaboration, the environment encourages competition and mistrust. There are no real opportunities for growth or development, and any promises made during hiring quickly prove to be empty.

If you value your mental health, professional growth, and a respectful work environment, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. 

I don't know what else I can say that isn't included in my rating. The salary is more than acceptable here, the benefits are great, management is great, the work-life balance is amazing (I stop work exactly at 4:00, and there is never an expectation to work outside of my office hours), there is TONS of room for advancement and professional development, and the culture is just amazing. 

I will say this, the shops are likely very different from the corporate building, but I can only speak on behalf of the corporate building. 

Worst managed company, extra-marital affairs run rampant amongst management and employees. Great place to ruin your homelife and marriage since you are never at home and always on call. Must carry a company cell phone with you at all times and they track your whereabouts and activity with cellphone. There is one particular manager that will put a bullseye on your back and bully you until you snap. They know who they are and are quite proud of themself for it. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Cleaner 9 salaries reported	$22.11 per hour
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Electrician 5 salaries reported	$40.07 per hour
Customer service representative 17 salaries reported	$27.22 per hour
Engineer 9 salaries reported	$29.26 per hour

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