Father worried about support for son with autism after Saskatoon Public Schools says 80 EAs being cut
The loss of 80 temporary education assistants from the Saskatoon Public School division this month is raising concerns for some parents about the direct impact it could have on children's ability to learn in the classroom.
The division said this week it's making cuts over the next two weeks because funding didn't come through through the federal Jordan's Principle program, which is meant to ensure First Nations children receive the health, social and education services they need.
The division has been using the funding to pay for EAs since the 2018-19 school year.
Keldon Sanderson said he's worried about support for his son Kaden, who has autism and has been working with an EA funded through Jordan's Principle at his public elementary school.
"He knows who his worker is, he knows her by name, he gets excited when he gets to go to school, because he knows that he's going to be working with her," Sanderson said. "She's given him a lot of support where he's needed it."
Because of his autism, Kaden thrives off routine, and the sudden loss of his support system will affect his learning, Sanderson said.
He worries the connection his son has formed will be lost.
"My biggest worry is probably the support," Sanderson said.
The education assistants know the kids they work with and form bonds with them, he said.
"That's really what those kids need is that support with that one person who is able to understand them and able to be patient with them in class."
Backlog in applications
The school division said last year it received $15 million through Jordan's Principle, and this is the first year funding hasn't come. It had hired 200 new educational assistants through the program at the beginning of this school year, anticipating it would receive the funding needed to pay for those jobs.
There has been a backlog in assistance requests under the Jordan's Principle program, which Ottawa has been ordered to address by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Federal lawyers filed an application for a judicial review of that order in December.
Other Saskatchewan school divisions, like Saskatoon Catholic and Regina Public, have received recent funding through Jordan's Principle.
Regina Catholic is still waiting but doesn't intend to lay anyone off.
"I know there's a need for additional EAs and other professional support, whether it's speech language pathologists, mental health counselors, more teachers," said Samantha Becotte, the president of the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation.
"But I haven't heard of having to lay off any of their supporters at this time because of a change with Jordan's Principle."
WATCH | 80 educational assistants being laid off in Saskatoon schools:
In a statement to CBC earlier this week, a spokesperson for Saskatchewan's Education Ministry called the situation "disappointing," and accused the federal government of reducing funding "for vulnerable First Nation students in Saskatchewan schools."
The province also noted Saskatoon Public Schools received $286 million dollars in operating funds.
But the teachers' federation says that's not enough.
"The only reason that school divisions and families have turned to Jordan's Principle within education is because our provincial government has been underfunding education for so long," Becotte said.
"These supports are needed and necessary for students to be successful."
A statement sent earlier this week from Jennifer Kozelj, a press secretary for Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, also said "ensuring equal access to educational services for all students" in public schools is a provincial responsibility, and that Jordan's Princple funding should "be used when necessary, [but] it shouldn't negate provincial or territorial responsibility."
Saskatoon Public has 110 more temporary education assistants whose contracts are up in the air. Those EAs are funded until June because of a surplus from last year. A decision will be made in May to see if the division can afford to keep them.
In the meantime, the teachers' federation is hopeful the province will step up and fill the funding gap.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
Cultural caribou hunts to return to the Yukon for the first time in more than 30 years
First Nations and government leaders signed the Southern Lakes Caribou Relationship Plan on Wednesday. A key commitment in that plan is to bring back cultural caribou hunts. That's something that hasn't happened in more than 30 years.
Toronto Star
5 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Saskatchewan lays charges in wildfires while 1,000 more flee in Manitoba
Prairie wildfires developed on two fronts Friday, as 1,000 more Manitoba residents were forced to flee their homes and Saskatchewan RCMP charged two people with starting blazes. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference that one charge relates to starting a fire near La Ronge, which has forced 7,000 people from the area. 'The RCMP have informed us that they have now charged a couple of individuals,' Moe said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW An 18-year-old woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation and a 36-year-old man from Pelican Narrows each face one count of arson, said RCMP. It's alleged the woman set the fire in a rural area near La Ronge. The man is accused of setting fires in a ditch near the turnoff to Snowden, northeast of Prince Albert. As of Friday, Saskatchewan had 24 active wildfires and Moe said between 10,000 and 15,000 people are out of their communities. 'Many if not virtually all of the fires that we're dealing with in Saskatchewan, although not intentionally, are human caused. Some of those have been intentionally human caused,' Moe said. Saskatchewan and Manitoba are both under a state of emergency, which makes it easier for different levels of government to co-ordinate a response. Manitoba has also received help from the military to evacuate residents, mainly in remote First Nations. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Moe has faced calls from the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations and the Opposition NDP to follow suit. 'Every available resource in Canada must be utilized to combat these wildfires,' FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron wrote in a letter to Moe. 'We cannot afford to let critical assistance go unused.' The premier said while his Saskatchewan Party government is in daily contact with federal officials, provincial emergency crews have so far been able to get evacuees out. Moe said the Canadian Red Cross was also working to set up shelters for evacuees in Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert. In Manitoba, the town of Snow Lake issued a mandatory evacuation order Friday due to a large wildfire threatening the area east of Flin Flon. 'You must leave because of the danger to your health and safety,' reads a notice on the town's Facebook page. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW That fire, which had grown to more than 3,000 square kilometres, has already forced out all 5,000 residents of the city of Flin Flon and about 1,000 more in surrounding homes and cottages. With Snow Lake evacuees added in, about 19,000 were out of their homes in Manitoba. About 27 fires were burning in the province, with eight classified as out of control. Earlier Friday, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said evacuees have found places to stay with friends or family, in hotels or in congregate shelters. Getting evacuees into private accommodations is tricky, he said, because many hotel rooms are being reserved for people with 'intense' medical issues. 'We just have to do a balancing act,' Kinew said. 'At this point, the big-picture challenge around rooms has largely been addressed. 'It's now just about the daily balancing act of triaging people coming in and people who are already in shelters and matching them up with rooms.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Shelters have been set up in Winnipeg, Thompson and Brandon. The City of Flin Flon said on social media that no structures have been lost in the community or across the boundary in nearby Creighton, Sask. 'Winds in the area are now blowing from the south, resulting in heavy smoke and fire moving towards the south side of Flin Flon,' it said. The city added that fire protection, including sprinklers, have been set up and firefighters are working to protect property. Provincial fire officials said evacuations have been completed at First Nations at Pukatawagan and Cross Lake. In northern Alberta, approximately 1,300 residents of the town of Swan Hills were allowed to return to their homes Thursday, about a week after fleeing from a wildfire. But about 340 kilometres west in the County of Grande Prairie, people in the Municipal District of Opportunity were ordered out. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025. — With files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg
Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
AFN calls emergency meeting to discuss Bill C-5
The Assembly of First Nations will hold an emergency meeting later this month to discuss federal legislation designed to speed up project approvals, amid concerns that the changes could infringe on Indigenous rights. The online meeting will take place on June 16 and all 634 chiefs are invited to participate, AFN National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak said in an interview. She said she spoke to Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday, adding that Parliament needs to ensure they have enough time to review it before it is passed. 'As I said to the prime minister, First Nations support efforts to protect Canada from economic uncertainty and advance resource-revenue sharing agreements,' she said. 'However, First Nations are very concerned that this proposal may violate many collective rights.' The AFN is now reviewing Bill C-5, which was tabled Friday, and will have a full response to it in the coming days, said Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak. Along with the emergency meeting, she said that the AFN national executive will also be meeting to discuss strategy, potential legal implications and next steps ahead of the organization's July general assembly. Bill C-5 would create a federal 'major projects office' that would identify projects 'of national interest' and put them on a list for priority treatment. It looks to speed up decision timelines while still ensuring environmental protections and commitments to Indigenous rights, according to the federal government. Nation-building projects are considered ones that, among other criteria, make a significant contribution to Canada's prosperity and advance the interests of Indigenous peoples, the government said in a statement. Projects would only get the designation following full consultation with affected Indigenous peoples, it added. New federal legislation would cut internal trade barriers, advance 'nation-building' projects The proposed office would include an Indigenous advisory council with First Nation, Inuit and Métis representatives, said the statement, and the government will allocate funding to strengthen Indigenous participation. Officials said the government sent letters to 66 Indigenous groups ahead of the bill's introduction to have a first discussion about its framework. 'Canada will uphold its constitutional obligations to consult Indigenous groups to ensure projects proceed in ways that respect and protect Indigenous rights,' the statement said. 'We are committed to working in a way that respects our commitments to the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and the principles of reconciliation, including economic reconciliation.' Earlier this week Justice Minister Sean Fraser said that First Nations do not get a 'veto' over infrastructure projects, but then apologized the next day, saying his comments eroded trust. Mr. Carney said that his government will do everything it can to have the bill passed before the summer break. If Parliament needs to sit longer to do so, it should, he said. Ms. Woodhouse Nepinak said it's important that Parliament take the time needed to make sure First Nations can properly review and propose amendments before it passes. It comes as many communities are also dealing with the wildfires, she said. 'We fear attempts to ram legislation through Parliament may have significant consequences,' she said, adding that rights are at stake and 'failure to obtain free, prior and informed consent will likely result in protracted litigation.' Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict, who heads the Chiefs of Ontario, called the federal government's move to introduce the bill 'disappointing' and 'unfortunate.' First Nations, environmental groups denounce passing of Bill 5 in Ontario He said Ottawa is well aware of the criticism of Ontario's recently passed Bill 5, which also seeks to speed up mining and resource development by creating 'special economic zones' where provincial laws can be suspended. That bill, which passed this week, has sparked significant backlash from Indigenous groups, who warned it could reignite a wave of 'Idle No More' Indigenous protests first launched in 2012. Mr. Benedict said in an interview that both the federal government and the province should have reached out to First Nations to draft the bills in conjunction with them, and that Ottawa's outreach to Indigenous communities beforehand was not sufficient. 'The government has to come forward to the table and have conversations with rights holders ahead of the legislation being implemented or even considered, so that they can best understand the concerns we have, and that we can come to some mutual understanding of what the legislation's intent is, and what is going to be possible and what's not,' he said. He said his group was copied on a letter to the national chief from the federal government that solicited feedback on the bill, but his view is that the bill needs to be drafted in conjunction with First Nations. He added that First Nations are considering legal options, advocacy and 'direct action,' including protests. With a file from Stephanie Levitz and Steven Chase
