All federally-run schools in Ontario First Nations communities have been closed by the public service strike, raising concerns from parents and community leaders.
All federally-run schools in Ontario First Nations communities closed by public service strike
Dan Taekema · CBC News
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Roughly 1,500 students at federally-run schools on First Nations communities in Ontario are out of class as public servants continue to strike.
That includes 350 who attend Quinte Mohawk School east of Belleville, Ont., according to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), and five schools on Six Nations of the Grand River in southern Ontario.
In an email to CBC, department spokesperson Zarah Malik said officials are working with First Nations leadership and families to “ensure students are provided with opportunities, including through homework packages, to continue their learning during the labour disruption.”
The department will continue to update chiefs and councils about the strike, Malik added.Â
A federally-run school on Cold Lake First Nation in Alberta is mostly staffed by community members, not public servants, so it’s not expected to close.
Parents juggling work and virtual school again
Brandi Akey, whose child is in Grade 1, said the situation feels like COVID-19 closures all over again.
“For me, it’s struggling,” said Akey, a member of Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte.
Akey said she works from home, which is a blessing and a curse. On one hand, she doesn’t need to find a babysitter during the strike, but on the other hand it’s a challenging juggle.
“I have to try to work but also try to home-school my child and play with him,” she said. “He’s a very active child. He’s a six-year-old boy. That’s been super hard.”
Her son is already missing his friends and a sense of routine, said Akey.
“I find it very concerning only because of COVID and how far behind all of our students are,” she said.
Hoping for an agreement soon
Akey was quick to express her sympathy for federal workers, recognizing many of them are parents struggling to pay for rising bills, gas prices and food costs.
“I hope everyone gets fair wages,” she said. “I really hope that they come to an agreement soon.”
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Chief Don Maracle said the federal government employs 17 teachers at the school. The principal and teacher’s assistants are working to support students with worksheets and other educational tools, he added.
“I’m sure a lot of those parents were left scrambling to find a sitter,” Maracle said. “It’s affecting the community.”
Six Nations council concerned
The chief said staff at the school are dedicated and will do the best they can to support students, but the strike’s impact will be felt more keenly the longer it drags on.
“We are concerned about it and hope it gets resolved very quickly,” he said.
Six Nations of the Grand River, which has more than 25,000 members, released a statement from its elected council saying it’s “concerned for all of our members, students and families.”
Community leaders are in regular contact with federal officials “in hopes of alleviating as much stress as possible,” wrote Chief Mark Hill in a statement.
“We will continue to assert political pressure to get all those affected in our community back to their regular routines as quickly as possible.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dan Taekema is CBC’s reporter covering Kingston, Ont. and the surrounding area. He’s worked in newsrooms in Chatham, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. You can reach him by emailing daniel.taekema@cbc.ca.
With files from Brett Forester and Aicha Smith-Belghaba
