CUPE 882 members are voting on a tentative agreement reached a couple of weeks ago with the City of Prince Albert.

It said results will be shared on Wednesday morning.

The union initially stalled the vote after learning that the city planned on continuing with a call centre system that had been established during the strike.

“We do not see the city moving forward with this issue, so we are letting our members decide our path forward by voting on the tentative agreement,” said CUPE national representative Mira Lewis.

“The union still has grave concerns about the proposed call centre, and structural changes the city wants to implement without negotiating with the union or receiving feedback from the impacted workers.”

The announcement comes after city council opted out of setting a bargaining date at its meeting on Monday evening.

Ward 2 Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp required unanimous support to have the motion discussed on Monday rather than in a month at the next meeting.

“We see people in the gallery. This affects their lives and it affects governance as well of our city. It’s a pressing, urgent issue,” she said.

The motion was denied 5-4.

Mayor Greg Dionne voted against it because the union hadn’t voted on the city’s final offer.

The tentative agreement includes an 11 per cent general wage increase, including adjustments to bring the lowest paid employees above minimum wage, vision coverage for all employees and expanded EFAP coverage to include non-permanent employees.

The city says the call centre does not impact terms and conditions of employment, only that employees who answer calls would be moved to a shared room. The union, however, says it impacts work flow for at least nine secretary positions.

CUPE 882 began a full strike on Sept. 11, but have been taking job action since Aug. 10.

Council votes in favour of cost-savings report

Prince Albert city council has voted in favour of administration compiling a cost-savings report on the CUPE 882 strike.

Ward 3 Coun. Tony Head, who brought forward the motion, said the information is important ahead of budget deliberations.

“It’s very timely coming into budget – what are we not spending; what are we currently spending? I know I see heightened security, I see lack of staff,” said Head.

Lennox-Zepp supported the motion. She said council needs facts in order to make governing decisions, no different than receiving ongoing financial reports throughout the pandemic.

“It seems an absurdity to me to not receive this information on a periodic basis throughout this strike,” she said.

Dionne voted against the motion. With City Hall being short staffed, he said he didn’t want to take workers away from customers to compile a report when he knows the city has “big savings.”

He said he would, however, support a report once the strike is over.

Dionne said it would take administration three months to prepare the cost-savings report. Budget deliberations are set to begin in mid-November.

Head’s motion included an up-to-date cost-savings from the strike so far, as well as an overall cost-savings once CUPE 882 members return to work.

Ward 4 Coun. Don Cody was the only other councillor to vote against the motion.

The Saskatchewan government has tabled a policy requiring parental consent for children to change their gender identification or be involved in sex education in schools.

The province invoked the notwithstanding clause to introduce the Parents’ Bill of Rights on Thursday.

The bill outlines a number of parents’ rights in their children’s education. If the student is under the age of 16, parental consent is required for teachers and other employees to use a change of name or pronouns related to preferred gender identities.

It also allows parents to withdraw their children from sexual health presentations. The bill outlines that parents must be informed of the content and dates in which sex education will be presented to students at least two weeks prior.

“It brings parents into the lives of children. That’s who’s best able to support children through difficult conversations and difficult decisions,” said Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill during Thursday’s question period.

The policy, which was announced in August, has received criticism from Prince Albert Pride. In a statement, the organization said it “strongly opposes the use of the notwithstanding clause to implement policies that harm trans students and limit comprehensive education.”

“We believe in inclusive, safe environments for all students that respect their dignity and rights,” it said.

The statement pointed to comments made by the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour that the policy is “dangerous and desperate” and “a threat to all worker rights and all Charter rights.”

“Using the notwithstanding clause tells transphobic people that they don’t have to be scared to be transphobic. Many in our community have been experiencing this rise in hate in the past month and a half. This hate will continue to grow and lead to dire consequences,” said Prince Albert Pride.

Just two weeks ago, a Regina judge granted an injunction that halted the policy until it was further argued in court. In his written decision, Justice Michael Megaw said the injunction was necessary to prevent any “irreparable harm.”

In response, Premier Scott Moe recalled the legislature early to invoke the notwithstanding clause.

The notwithstanding clause allows governments to override certain sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, shielding the law from “judicial invalidation.” The clause cannot be used on the grounds that it violates democratic rights, mobility rights, or minority language rights.

Moe said the Parents’ Bill of Rights reaffirms what is already happening in many school divisions.

“That’s the belief of this government, is that we are going to provide every opportunity to include parents in their child’s school, in their child’s classroom, in their child’s education,” he said.

Cockrill pointed to comments from Stacy Lair, the North East School Division’s director of education based in Melfort.

“Our administrative policy to consult with parents regarding family life and human sexuality is in line with the minister’s request,” said Lair, which Cockrill read in the legislature.

“Regarding the consent of name changes, we believe trusting relationships with students do not come at the cost of infringing on the trust of parents.”

The bill also includes parents in other school practices, such as being informed of disciplinary action, making decisions on which courses their children are enrolled in, and having access to their school files.

Neil Finch, the director of education for the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division, said he needed time to review the details of the new legislation.

“I haven’t had time to digest what’s all in there, and we’ll need time to see what it means for us on the operational side of things and how we communicate with parents,” he said.

The Herald has reached out to the Prince Albert Catholic School Division for comment.

A protest against the use of the notwithstanding clause is set to take place next week at the Prince Albert exhibition grounds, where the local Premier’s Dinner is being held.

Sask. Party using controversial policy to avoid accountability, says NDP

The Opposition NDP called the Parents’ Bill of Rights a “smokescreen” to avoid accountability for crises such as the lack of mental health resources.

Leader Carla Beck called for the same urgency to these issues as the pronoun policy.

“Too many people in this province are falling through the gaps because the government doesn’t care about the issues that matter most. The supports aren’t there. These are the real emergencies we should be debating,” she said.

A news release included statistics from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, which suggest that counsellors have increased by .7 positions, but psychologists have decreased by 1.9 positions.

For the same time period, teachers have decreased by 66.1 positions, while Kindergarten to Grade 12 enrolment has increased by 3,840 students.

Sarah McKenzie lost her 14-year-old child, Bee, to suicide. Bee changed their name after coming out as non-binary in 2021, according to the release.

“This is not just a crisis – it’s an epidemic. There is a system failure and instead of talking about that, the government is trying to divide us with smokescreens to avoid taking accountability and action,” said McKenzie.

“What happened to my child and so many others should not be happening.”

– with files from Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter/SaskToday

A year-long project to replace three stories of windows at Prince Albert’s Court of King’s Bench is receiving municipal recognition.

The City of Prince Albert presented SEPW Architecture and the provincial government, which owns the property, with its 2022 Municipal Heritage Award on Wednesday. The project was recognized under the rehabilitation category for efforts to restore the windows while maintaining the building’s historical significance.

Justin Wotherspoon, the company’s principal architect, said preserving the court’s heritage was important.

“Behind the scenes, although this just appeared to be a window replacement, there was a dedicated group of individuals that were really working hard to finding technical solutions to replacing windows in an old building, but then we had to take it beyond that to look at sensitive and appropriate solutions to support the character-defining elements,” he said.

For example, Wotherspoon said, the team conducted research into the building’s original windows, since the the windows they were replacing were not original.

They found that white oak would best match the windows from when the court house was first built in 1927.

“It takes a lot of time and a lot of effort and a lot of research,” said Wotherspoon. 

“We’d just like to thank you for recongizing that effort here today.”

Court of King’s Bench in Prince Albert brings back memories for Chief Justice of Saskatchewan Martel Popescul.

“It was here, over 43 years ago, that I conducted my first cases in this very court house. My first jury trial was here; my first chambers appearance was here, and my first pre-trial conference was held in this extraordinary structure. As a lawyer, I spent a lot of time at and conducted many trials in this court house,” he said.

During those many years, Popescul said the building made an impression on him. He continues to be amazed at how the original architect, Maurice Sharon, was able to “convey an idea, a feeling, a presence, the physical embodiment of justice and the rule of law.”

“It’s equally amazing to me how today’s architects, such as those at SEPW Architecture, can maintain the original historic vision, the look and feel of a building that’s almost a century old, while modernizing and improving it to reflect today’s standards and expectations,” said Popescul.

The renovations cost about $700,000. The project began in March 2020 and was complete by July 2021.

According to Craig Guidinger, the city’s director of planning and development services, the architects removed the old single hung windows with triple glazed ones, improving the energy efficiency and appearance of the building.

They also replaced an aluminum storm door and the arched window at the main entrance to match the rest of the new windows. The large rose window, which is on the south side, also needed putty and caulking repairs.

This is the first project heritage award given out since 2016, said Guidinger. The city re-worked its policy consideration for the award in 2018 and 2019 before COVID-19 put a pause to it.

Guidinger said the city will put out a call for 2023 nominations in January.

Family and friends of Boden Umpherville want to keep his story alive.

Protestors gathered in Prince Albert’s Kinsmen Park on Friday evening before marching down Central Avenue to the police station, advocating for better treatment of Indigenous peoples.

They held up signs reading ‘stronger together,’ ‘help us, not hurt us,’ and ‘justice for Boden,’ along with a large banner with a photo of Umpherville in hospital.

“There’s been no accountability, no nothing. There’s been no apologies, anything like that, so how do we trust a system that can’t even say sorry?” questioned Chase Sinclair, a close friend of Umpherville who organized the walk.

“We’re not putting up with it anymore – we want compassion, we want care. We can’t send broken people through a broken system and expect them to be fixed.”

Umpherville died of injuries sustained during his arrest on Apr. 1. According to his family, he had broken orbital bones on his face, a laceration above his eye that required 19 stitches, cuts, and multiple burns.

He was taken off of life support three weeks later.

The incident remains under investigation. According to a news release from the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT), Umpherville was one of three people in a vehicle police pulled over. Although the car had been reported stolen, according to police, one of the people inside was the registered owner.

Prince Albert police used stun guns, collapsible batons and pepper spray during the arrest, according to SIRT.

Sinclair met with interim police Chief Patrick Nogier, Deputy Chief Farica Prince and an elder in July, a few weeks after he held a similar demonstration.

Nogier described the meeting as “respectful.”

“We’re going to have differing opinions on how things happened, why they happened and, at times, that’s the (important) part, is trying to get appreciation from both sides of the equation,” he said.

“It was an opportunity to kind of discuss the nature of the protest, a little bit about what do we really hope to accomplish? But at the end of the day, it’s just trying to get a better understanding of different perspectives.”

Since Umpherville’s arrest is still being investigated, Nogier said he couldn’t speak to specific details on why officers used that amount of force.

Since then, Sinclair has been joining forces with other loved ones who have died from police involvement. 

This includes family members of Saul Laliberte, one of three in-custody deaths that occurred within three weeks in 2021, along with John Gardiner, who was killed in January after being shot by police.

Two police officers have recently been charged. Sgt. Tyson Morash is facing charges of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessities of life in Laliberte’s death. Just last week, the police service announced that another member was charged with three counts of common assault stemming from two incidents in July 2022.

“Since I started this, there was nothing like that. Everybody just took it,” said Sinclair about the charges.

“People didn’t know about the Public Complaints Commission or to go to the FSIN for help or support, so now that we’re making this move, it opens the door for other people to do the same.”

Another protestor, Margaret Mercredi, said she considered Umpherville her son.

“He would never harm another person. If he’d seen another person on the street that needed something, even if he had a sweater on his back, he’d give it to the next person. He was very generous,” she said, adding that the way he died has had lasting impacts on her.

“It left a very big dent in our family, and it’s been hard,” said Mercredi. “That relationship, even just seeing the cops, we don’t feel safe.”

Ultimately, said Sinclair, families want recognition that the actions of police have taken lives.

“Why not take the initiative to change the narrative? Why are you still backing this them vs. us relationship? It’s just as easy as a handshake or sending off flowers to my auntie,” he said.

“That’s human.”

The first person charged in the death of a man in a house fire in Prince Albert has been sentenced to five years in jail.

Loretta Sakebow was originally charged with second-degree murder in Jeremy Starblanket’s death, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of arson with disregard for human life. With credit for time served on remand, Sakebow has 708 days remaining.

Speaking on the joint submission, Crown prosecutor Maureen Longworth said Sakebow is “not the reins behind what occurred.”

“The accused in this particular circumstance wasn’t the planner,” said Longworth, although “her actions are intimately involved.”

The case dates back to March 2021, when emergency services responded to an explosion and house fire at 516 5th Ave E. According to the agreed statement of facts, the home was Sakebow’s rental property.

Sakebow held a party with Terror Squad members at the house, who allegedly beat Starblanket while Sakebow went on a drug run. When she returned, Sakebow, among two other accused, were instructed to go buy supplies to light the house on fire.

Witnesses saw three people run from the house. The dash cam of a police cruiser also captured Sakebow fleeing the scene.

Starblanket died of thermal burns and smoke and soot inhalation, indicating that he was alive when the house caught fire. Injuries to his arm, hip and leg were contributing factors.

Sakebow was dressed in a loose white T-shirt and grey sweatpants, with her hair tied up in a high bun. Answering questions for Justice Meschishnick, she said she was not aware that Starblanket was still in the home when she helped light it on fire, although she didn’t take any steps to determine that no one was inside.

When Meschishnick asked if Sakebow wanted to speak before her sentencing, she declined. While reading victim impact statements, she wiped her eyes with a tissue.

Defence lawyer Evan Strelioff said Sakebow’s drug addiction began in 2016 and “escalated to heavy, daily meth use.” He said she hasn’t used since she was remanded in 2021, and is working through addictions counselling, schooling and a cleaning job at Pine Grove Correctional Centre.

“I hope very much that you will succeed,” said Meschishnick.

However, he said, “it’s very important that this court do what it can” to deter people from gangs.

Longworth said five years is a “significant sentence” based on Sakebow’s “limited” criminal record.

‘Nobody should die like that’

Starblanket’s mother, Lucille Bird, said this is the first time the family has heard details on what happened – she was particularly hurt to know that her son was alive when the house went up in flames.

“It was hard (to hear) that my kid had to suffer and die like that. Nobody should die like that. My boy was good,” said Bird.

“It breaks my heart.”

Frank Ahenakew described his son as athletic. He said he’s kept about 300 medals, ribbons, plaques and trophies from Starblanket’s time in martial arts, track, soccer and hockey.

“He was helpful – you didn’t have to ask twice. If you needed help, he would help,” said Ahenakew.

Bird and Ahenakew wished Sakebow well, hoping she makes strides in her rehabilitation.

“I hope she gets the help she needs because my son isn’t here to get the help he needs, or his kids,” said Bird.

“There’s still that numbness,” added Ahenakew. “It’s a hard thing to deal with, very hard. I’m not sure if the sentence was right, but nothing I can do. It’s out of my hands.”

Three other people are charged with first-degree murder in Starblanket’s death: Darren Masuskapoe, Keyano Ahenakew and Henry Ratt.

CUPE 882 says the City of Prince Albert needs to disclose further information and negotiate structural changes to City Hall before its members vote on a tentative agreement.

The union began a full strike on Sept. 11 after twice voting down an offer from the City. CUPE 882 has been without a contract since December 2021.

They reached a tentative agreement on Thursday, but quickly halted the membership vote.

The two parties held a meeting on Friday morning to discuss a return to work agreement, when the City notified CUPE 882 that a call centre had been established at City Hall.

“We expect that the union would honour the right of their members to cast their vote and we remain willing to share information about the call centre if they still have questions,” said Director of Corporate Services Kiley Bear.

“The fact remains that there have been no changes to the terms and conditions of employment, so there’s no need to delay the vote.”

Bear said the call centre was established during the strike. The City wants to keep the model because it’s “highly effective” for customer service.

Bear said there would be no changes to the employees who answer calls, just that their desks would be moved to a shared space – but the union says otherwise.

CUPE 882 said the change would impact at least nine clerk steno and secretary employees. According to a news release, this is almost 15 per cent of the union’s City Hall staff.

“They are changing the structure of how the work flows,” said CUPE 882 Vice-President Cara Stelmaschuk.

“Their jobs are not like one size fits all. The knowledge those people have is very specific to the departments they work in.”

CUPE 882 has filed an unfair labour practice application with the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board, seeking a ruling on the City’s conduct during bargaining.

The union has also asked the City to provide further information about the call centre by Thursday. This includes a list of impacted employees, how their job descriptions and day-to-day tasks will change and if their pay will be affected.

“There’s consultation that has to happen and we have to know about it,” said Stelmaschuk.

Bear said she was frustrated with the way the union described the call centre as “sweeping changes,” when there won’t be any job losses or impacts to job descriptions.

“It was, again, a pretty inflammatory way to just describe what we had shared with them earlier that morning. It’s not a dramatic change in the way that they have characterized it,” she said.

“We know that they’re dedicated employees and we want to bring them back in and work together with them to kind of focus on the future, repairing some of what has clearly been some damage in the relationship.”

The tentative agreement includes an 11 per cent general wage increase, including adjustments to bring the lowest paid employees above minimum wage, vision coverage for all employees and expanded EFAP coverage to include non-permanent employees.

CUPE 882 represents inside workers at City Hall and facilities such as the EA Rawlinson Centre, Alfred Jenkins Field House, Art Hauser Centre and Arts Centre.

Prince Albert’s new First Nations university campus is set for shovels to hit the ground, pending significant funding approval.

The First Nations University of Canada (FNUC) has been waiting for a few months to hear back about a $25 million grant from Infrastructure Canada. This would fund almost half of the roughly $55 million build, according to President Jacqueline Ottmann.

She said the upgrade would bring the campus’ student capacity up from about 300 students to 450.

“That is significant growth for us and the building is also designed to host community events,” she said.

“In the facility that we’re in right now, that can’t happen. We just don’t have the space there,” she said.

The current FNUC campus in the city is located downtown on Central Avenue. In January, city council approved a proposal to build on five acres of land near the Alfred Jenkins Field House for a nominal one dollar fee.

“It’s a strong demonstration of economic reconciliation and partnering for the benefit of all people,” said Ottmann.

If the funding from Infrastructure Canada is approved, which would come from the Green and Inclusive Community Buildings Program, Ottmann said construction can begin “almost immediately.” Then, FNUC has a two-year timeline to complete the project.

FNUC has already secured an $8.5 million mortgage, and is in the midst of a $5.5 million campaign. Ottmann said a million dollars of that campaign will be covered with the federal government’s approval.

She said the location is ideal for their student demographic, which is primarily women, many who are single parents.

“That location made sense for a future campus because you’re looking for holistic supports. At that location, we have pathways, walking pathways, there’s a field house, there’s a playground, then there’s the hospital,” she said.

Student registration for the Fall 2023 semester showed 46 per cent of FNUC students are pursuing Indigenous social work, followed by 26 per cent in the arts.

Ottmann said many social work graduates move on to become therapists.

“There is that connection that I think we can strengthen with the hospital,” she said.

Ultimately, explained Ottmann, FNUC prioritized a new and improved campus in Prince Albert because it hosts students from across northern Saskatchewan.

“What we recognize, and we talk about this and learned about this, is that many people from the north don’t want to go any further south than Prince Albert,” she said.

“(We have) to uplift our Indigenous youth and non-Indigenous youth and to ensure that they’re not only recruited within our institutions, but they are retained to program completion.”

Ottmann spoke at a Prince Albert Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the Coronet Hotel on Thursday. Her speech ranged from an early story of “persistence and determination” to today’s growth in fostering Indigenous education.

“All of our graduates, when they get their degree, all the sudden those doors open,” she said.

That desire to pursue further education trickles into future generations.

“I was one of the first to graduate from my community, and that was celebrated in my family, and I marked that moment by wearing a white buckskin dress at my high school graduation – the scariest thing that I had done up until that point,” recalled Ottmann.

“But it was more for kind of communicating that I won’t compromise who I am, but also inspire the youth in my community.”

Ottmann is from the Saulteaux community of Fishing Lake First Nation near Wadena.

She said FNUC works to bridge elementary, to high school, to post-secondary education, and into the workforce. Student recruiters often travel to First Nation communities and rural areas not just to promote the university, but to demonstrate the opportunities available beyond a high school education.

A group protesting sexuality and gender-diverse education held signs reading ‘Teach biology, not ideology,’ ‘Let kids be kids’ and ‘Parents’ rights matter’ in Prince Albert on Wednesday.

The local event was one of several across Canada called 1 Million March 4 Children. The Prince Albert protesters walked from City Hall to the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division, where several people spoke to the crowd.

This included Saskatchewan Rivers MLA Nadine Wilson, Elevation Academy teacher and business owner Melanie Markling and Pastor Kevin Tabuchi.

“(Parents) want to teach their children the good things of life and for them to be innocent as long as they possibly can in the world we’re living in today,” said organizer Hannah-Mary Shenouda.

Shenouda said she’s against elementary-aged children “being taught how to masturbate and create sodomy and to use dildos.”

According to a news release – and shown in some signs at the march – the group is protesting SOGI 123 in schools, which the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation wanted to implement in a pilot program.

“The people pushing SOGI 123 think it is the only way to ensure that schools are safe and inclusive for all students. They think it is their way or nothing,” said Wilson.

“But by the crowd here today, with their babies and their children, with their parents and their grandparents, I’m here to tell you that it’s not the only way to respect the rights of a child. Inclusion must include parents and caregivers.”

Last month, the Ministry of Education said teachers are no longer allowed to bring in outside sources to teach about sex education. This comes after Planned Parenthood offered ABC sex cards to Grade 9 students at Lumsden High School.

SOGI is not specific to sex education and focuses on “diversity and respect” of the LGBTQ community. According to its website, the SOGI program has three pillars: policies and procedures, inclusive environments and teaching resources.

When it comes to elementary school students, SOGI suggests teaching proper language surrounding LGBTQ people. For example, it explains, a child may say “that’s so gay” and assume being gay is bad, without understanding what the term means.

The province also announced that schools now require parental consent for anyone under the age of 16 to change their name or pronouns.

“We didn’t have any of these discussions,” said Shenouda about her upbringing.

“Yes, they brought in sex education, but in a healthy way. This is not healthy, this is destroying the minds of our future generations.”

The news release also states that “planned and forced indoctrination and sexualization of our children” makes them vulnerable to sexual predators. It adds that allowing children to choose their genders results in irreversible sex changes and hormone suppression.

“If you feel like you’re a girl at five years old, well I’m sorry, but medically, most children know their gender,” said Shenouda.

“SOGI, in our opinion, is brainwashing.”

Shenouda said she’s not against the LGBTQ community and wanted counter-protestors to come and listen.

However, when two people waving pride flags approached, a member of the group began cursing at them – which Shenouda said she doesn’t stand for.

“We would encourage to love the members of the LGBT community. Many of them have struggled desperately in their own lives, and if that’s their choice, that’s their choice because we have that freedom,” she said.

“We’re not down (playing) them and saying ‘You’re wrong, we’re right.’”

Shenouda also referenced a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute. It shows that two in five Canadians, or 43 per cent, say parents should be informed and give consent if their children wish to change how they identify.

The poll shows that number is the highest in Saskatchewan among all provinces, at 50 per cent.

March met with counter-protests

Counter-protests occurred both at City Hall and down the street from the Sask. Rivers building.

The treasurer of Prince Albert Pride, Lana Wilson, said the group wanted to “be a symbol of hope” for the LGBTQ community.

“This is an issue of life or death for gender-diverse kids. The suicide rates are so high. There’s a lot of kids that don’t feel safe talking about their identities or their questions with their parents, and I think that’s the part that’s getting lost,” said Wilson.

According to to the Centre for Suicide Prevention, gay, lesbian and bisexual youth in Canada are five times more likely to die by suicide and seven times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers. 

“Standing out here today, I don’t expect to change other people’s minds,” Wilson added.

“But it’s so important for me to let people know, to let passerbys know, to let that group know that they do not stand unopposed.”

‘You don’t have to completely shelter children from reality’

Chelsea Bleau, who’s non-binary and goes by pronouns they/them, is the chair of Prince Albert Pride.

Bleau said sexualizing gender identity is creating stigma about gender-diverse people.

They added that teaching children about the various sexual orientations and gender identities isn’t confusing youth, as the news release about the march claimed.

“This isn’t making people confused, it’s empowering people,” said Bleau.

At the same time, though, they stand for comprehensive sex education at any age. It just depends on how you talk to children, they said.

“It doesn’t have to be really vulgar stuff, it can be as simple as teaching consent. I think about that a lot. I would have really, really benefitted from that in school,” said Bleau.

“You don’t have to completely shelter children from reality.”

When questioned about the 1 Million March 4 Children, Sask. Rivers director of education Neil Finch only asked protestors to remain on public property. Finch said he was aware that the march was headed to the Sask. Rivers building.

A photo is circulating on social media of a sign at Red Wing Public School that reads “We will embrace diversity, inclusion, belonging.”