Legislative Report, 10 November 2004

As K-12 Learning Critic, I have spent most of this year traveling the province speaking to all groups concerned with the proposed changes to school boundaries.

NDP Learning Minister Andrew Thomson says he isn’t hearing much concern about his plan to force school division amalgamations. Well, maybe he just isn’t listening. I have spoken with hundreds of people over the past few months and I have received even more letters of concern. Parents, educators and trustees in communities across the province have been raising their concerns about the province’s plan since it was first announced. They don’t like being forced, they are concerned about the size of the proposed divisions, they are angry at the possibility of losing their autonomy, and in some cases, don’t understand why already amalgamated divisions are being split apart again.

The NDP has already spent $4.6 million on the recent round of amalgamations. Why would they spend this much money if in the end, they were eventually going to come up with their own map of boundaries anyway? When the NDP government first announced its intention to force amalgamation in Saskatchewan – the main reasons were to provide greater efficiency and save money. A number of existing divisions across the province are telling us that with the sheer size of some of these proposed divisions will reduce any efficiency the government hope to gain.

And now the NDP is also changing its tune as to what they hope to accomplish by forcing amalgamations. Now they are telling us that they want everyone to have the same mill rate. Unfortunately, Saskatchewan people have become accustomed to the NDP government telling them one thing and then either changing their position mid-stream.

Past Legislative Reports