A group of heritage advocates in Fredericton are looking to make sure cultural funding is not on the chopping block in next week’s New Brunswick budget.

They have reason to worry too: the province is facing a $1.3-billion deficit and neighbouring Nova Scotia — which delivered its budget last month — slashed cultural grants to arts and museums by tens of millions of dollars.

“We are the knowledge keepers of the history of this province, and we need the support,” said Melynda Jarratt, president of Maison Doucet Hennessy House.

Premier Susan Holt has promised “difficult decisions” in her government’s budget coming down on Tuesday.

And the worry isn’t just about possible cuts. In Nova Scotia, Premier Tim Houston and his government closed down 12 museums entirely as a cost-cutting measure.

“We’re always concerned. We’re funded but not funded enough and so any cuts, whether it’s $1,000 or $2,000 to one of our heritage sites, has a profound impact,” said Janet Clouston, vice-president of the Association of Heritage New Brunswick.

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The anger towards grant cuts in Nova Scotia has led to several protests in front of the Nova Scotia legislature, drawing hundreds of people to downtown Halifax.

Julie Whitenect, executive director of ArtsLink NB, says he’s hoping Holt and her government see what’s happening in Nova Scotia, and the value and passion people have for the arts throughout the Maritimes.

“Do we want people to come here and stay here and live here and build their lives if there isn’t any vibrancy or activity taking place?” Whitenect said. “Then what is it that is going to bring them here?”

She says New Brunswick already has the lowest arts funding per capita in the country.

And she’s hoping to see, instead of cuts, a $6-million funding increase in Tuesday’s budget.

For Claire Godin, director of the Founding Cultures Museum, any cut to heritage funding in New Brunswick would have a widespread impact.

“Heritage is a big part of tourism, and tourism is a very active sector of New Brunswick’s economy,” Godin said. “The concern is much larger than just financial, as well, it’s all the jobs associated to it. What do we do with our stories, with our heritage, with our artifacts?”

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Ontario’s education minister says he will keep school boards in the province under supervision for years if necessary and won’t feel pressure to hand them back to elected trustees until he is confident they’re being well-run.

Paul Calandra has put eight school boards under supervision over the past year, sidelining trustees at some of the province’s largest boards.

Both Toronto public and Catholic, as well as the two English-language boards in Peel Region, are now being run by provincial supervisors. The eight supervised boards represent some 750,000-plus students.

“Almost 40 per cent of the student population in Ontario is under the control of the Ministry of Education right now,” Calandra said. “That ostensibly is to ensure that classroom funding is maximized to lower down the temperature we’d seen in advance of supervision.”

Supervision is something that has concerned some in the education space, including parent groups and unions. An open letter sent to the Ford government asked for a clear plan on how boards would return to trustee-led governance.

Calandra, however, suggested he was in no hurry to reverse course.

“With respect to the boards that we have under supervision, they’re not going to be turned back until they’re on the right path, full stop,” he said. “If it takes us one year, two years, three years, 10 years — I don’t care.”

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Calandra has also mused over months about the future of trustees, pointing out he has the power to abolish English public school trustees if he chooses.

David Maston, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, said giving the provincial government control of day-to-day decisions at school boards is a mistake.

“Comments about potentially eliminating them altogether, concentrating decision-making power at Queen’s Park, should concern us all,” he said.

“These actions raise serious concerns about the minister acting without meaningful consultation from those directly involved: the families of students, educators and education workers.”

Calandra has pointed to a trip to Italy taken by trustees at one board and an excursion to the Toronto Blue Jays’ hotel by another board as examples of mismanagement from elected trustees.

David Lepofsky, a disability advocate and chair of the AODA Alliance, said it was a “false dilemma” to suggest trustees must exist in their current form or be abolished.

“Mend it, don’t end it,” he suggested.

Among Lepofsky’s concerns is the danger that eliminating trustees could reduce the options for parents of children with disabilities. He said supervision at the Toronto District School Board had hurt children with special educational needs.

“What we’ve seen from the point of view of kids with disabilities and special education needs is that after six or more months under their supervision, things have not gotten one bit better,” he said.

“In fact, things have gotten appreciably worse.”

While Calandra seemed to be moving full steam ahead with the removal of trustees a few months ago, Premier Doug Ford would not commit to the plan on Wednesday.

“I can’t confirm it right at this second, everything’s on the table,” he said. “What we want to do is focus in the classroom, what we don’t want to see is mismanagement.”

Calandra said he still planned to recommend changes.

“I haven’t given the premier my suggestions yet for reform -I’ll do that very soon,” he said. “A whole host of options for the premier and then to my cabinet colleagues.”

The lack of a decision so far is something Kathleen Woodcock, president of the Ontario Public School Board Association, hopes means the idea could be scrapped.

“I hope the premier has decided to listen to all of the education sector, saying this is not a path that really makes any sense for our students,” she said.

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The Ford government says it will give elementary school teachers access to $750 per year in classroom supplies, which they’ll be able to order directly from a new provincial website.

Beginning in September, teachers will be able to use the money to buy writing supplies, calculators, chalk, art, crafts and tissue, among other classroom supplies.

The government said it will offer direct support to teachers, who, Premier Doug Ford and Education Minister Paul Calandra both say, have been forced until now to spend their own money on supplies from dollar stores.

“We know that many teachers have been paying out of pocket for supplies. That isn’t fair for teachers or students,” Calandra said.

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“While school boards receive funding for classroom resources, we have not always seen those dollars consistently reach every classroom. That is why we are putting funds directly in the hands of teachers to ensure their classrooms are equipped to support student achievement.”

He said the funds would be in addition to the money boards currently receive.

David Mastin, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario, suggested that spending accounts missed the mark.

“For years, educators have spent hundreds of dollars of their own money to ensure students have what they need. If the government is finally acknowledging this reality, it’s long overdue,” he said in a statement.

“The real issue that needs addressing is this government’s ongoing refusal to address the chronic underfunding that forces educators to subsidize classrooms out of their own pockets in the first place.”

The government said the new website will offer supplies for elementary teachers grade-by-grade, which will then be delivered directly to schools.

The province said it would consult with teachers to work out what supplies it needs to stock on the website.

Calandra said the current policy, which only targets elementary school teachers, was a “start” and he would be open to expanding it to secondary school teachers.

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B.C. Premier David Eby, Attorney General Niki Sharma and Minister of Education and Child Care, Lisa Beare, are set to make an announcement on Monday afternoon about safe access to schools and places of worship.

The announcement will begin at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time and will be live-streamed above.

3:43
Attorney general on B.C.’s Safe Access to Schools Act

In May 2024, B.C. passed the Safe Schools Act, which sets 20-metre (66-foot) “no-go zones” for protesters around schools.

Under the law, police can arrest or ticket anyone found blocking access, disrupting or interfering with school activities or trying to intimidate people within the access zone.

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The zones are in effect from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. and during extracurricular school activities at all public and private schools in the province.

That legislation came in the wake of an increase in protests against SOGI-123, a resource package around sexual orientation and gender identity aimed at reducing bullying and discrimination. The province also saw disruptive vaccine-related protests near schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This story will be updated following the press conference.

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The nursey works closely with parents to keep them updated on their child’s development.

A nursery in Cambridgeshire has been rated strong in all of the categories assessed by OFSTED. The Day Nursery in Peterborough has been praised for the “very good progress” children make during their time there.

The Day Nursery was inspected by the regulator on Wednesday, January 14, with the positive report published on Monday, March 2. The report said: “Teaching is highly effective across all rooms of the nursery. Staff know the children extremely well. They take the time to help them settle and build loving, trusting relationships from the start. Staff working with babies are highly skilled and trained.”

It continued: “They understand baby development, including the importance of developing and strengthening children’s large and small muscles. They give them space to crawl, climb safely and provide equipment to help them pull themselves up to standing. Staff maintain eye-contact when talking to babies and repeat words to begin building their vocabulary.”

Jade Smith, the Early Years Manager, said: “I would just like to say how incredibly proud I am of our team, we have previously been rated outstanding three times and have remained committed to delivering the highest standards achievable.

“A special mention also needs to go to our nursery owner Lynne Blyth who dedicates her time fighting for the best outcomes for all local nurseries by being involved in local and national Early Years groups and forums.”

As well as developing a good relationship with the children, the report said staff also help them to “develop a secure knowledge of mathematical concepts” by using real life examples and activities. The report added that children are able to follow instructions “very well” and show ‘impressive’ levels of concentration and focus.

Mealtimes are also used to further children’s development with children from the age of two years old serving their own food, according to regulators. The children “highly benefit” from routines at the nursery, including time outdoors and yoga, music, and movement sessions.

On the leadership and governance of the nursery, the report detailed: “Leaders appreciate and value their staff. They monitor practice to help nurture and guide staff’s personal development. Regular supervision sessions consider staff’s wellbeing and identify professional training opportunities.

“Leaders are passionate about continuing professional development opportunities for all staff using tailor-made, customised and bespoke training. This means staff can continually deliver high-quality teaching experiences and constantly build their skills.”

The staff at the Day Nursery also build partnerships with the children’s parents and “gather the essential information about their child to help them settle”, the report said. Many parents have “extremely positively” commented on the information they receive about their children’s daily activities.

In their previous Ofsted inspection in 2020, they received an overall rating of ‘good’

A pre-school just over the Cambridgeshire border in Hertfordshire has been told it ‘needs attention’ by Ofsted. After dropping from an overall ‘good’ rating in their previous inspection, staff members at Ladybird Playgroup & Pre-school in Thriplow said that they “recognise some areas need enhancing” and are “already taking action”.

The report, which was published on Monday, March 2, said that some children make “varied progress through the curriculum due to inconsistencies in teaching”.

The report also states: “Children are independent individuals and thrive in carrying out appropriate responsibilities, such as taking turns to be the helper of the day.”

The pre-school was judged ‘needs attention’ for five categories assessed: achievement, behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance.

The safeguarding standards were met and children’s welfare and wellbeing was graded at ‘expected standard’.

Ofsted awarded a rating of overall ‘good’ in their previous inspection in 2020.

The report said: “Older children are learning to navigate their emotions. However, when older children display unkind behaviour, such as shouting at friends in frustration or throwing resources, staff tell them to stop but do not always help them to understand their own and others’ feelings.”

As a result, the inspection found that “staff do not fully support children to develop the skills needed to regulate their behaviour”.

The report continued: “Leaders recognise that staff need to strengthen their skills to help children manage their emotions but have not yet taken effective action to do so.”

A spokesperson for Ladybird Playgroup and Pre-school in Thriplow said: “We were one of the first settings assessed under Ofsted’s new framework. We’re pleased the inspection recognised the good work we are doing, particularly around safeguarding and children’s wellbeing.

“We recognise some areas need enhancing and we are already taking action. The safety and wellbeing of the children in our care remains our top priority.”

Ofsted praised the staff for working well as a team, and encouraging children to develop a love of books. The report recognises that children feel “relaxed, safe and secure”, and that they “build secure relationships with their key person and seek them out for reassurance when needed”.

The Ford government says it will be ordering school boards to begin printing paper report cards again for parents after some moved to digital systems.

Ontario’s Ministry of Education suggested in a statement that some parents had struggled with digital report cards, which generally need to be downloaded using a password.

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“Parents deserve clear and straightforward access to information about their child’s education,” a spokesperson for Education Minister Paul Calandra wrote.

“That’s why we are working to ensure report cards are also provided in paper format, so families have simple access to their child’s progress. Our focus is on putting students first and making the system clearer and more consistent for families across Ontario.”

Calandra has taken a hands-on and controversial approach to his role, putting seven school boards under the direct control of Queen’s Park, blaming trustees for budget issues and governance dysfunction.

He has repeatedly indicated he would be open to eliminating public school board trustees altogether, something Premier Doug Ford recently said hadn’t yet been decided upon.