This is the news release from Brad Wall, after he spoke to SARM delegates Tuesday:
Brad Wall Demands Calvert NDP Show Leadership On School Closures
Wednesday - March 14, 2007
SASKATOON—Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall today called on Premier Lorne Calvert to begin showing leadership on the crucial issue of school closures. Wall said it is time for the NDP government to slow down the rush to close schools without fully exploring issues like bussing distances, schools of opportunity and complimentary uses for school facilities. “Good schools and quality educational services are economic future of Saskatchewan, yet there is no common standards for the information that must be gathered and the alternatives discussed before a school is closed,” Wall said. “We need to make sure communities get all the information they need, explore other options and have sufficient time to reflect and have a meaningful discussion on the implications of these decisions.” Wall made the comments in an address today before the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities annual meeting in Saskatoon. He said important questions need to be fully considered before a final decision is made. “A Saskatchewan Party government would give communities a chance to gather important demographic information like what is the potential for economic development in the area, and what are the expected number of school-aged children in the next five or ten years,” Wall said. “Let’s give time for discussions about complimentary uses for school buildings, whether it be as libraries, seniors centres, town offices or medical offices.” Wall also noted that provincial education funding seems to favour long bus rides versus classrooms as bussing receives higher percentage of provincial funding. Wall said it’s time to build a vision for rural Saskatchewan that is based on something more than a belief in the inevitable decline and depopulation. “In the United States, 18 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas saw more people leave than move in—the Census Bureau is calling it the ‘Green Acres Effect’ as residents flee the city in record numbers for a better quality of life,” Wall said. “Let’s have the vision to tap into that desire in Canada so we can create a vibrant and economically successful rural economy.”
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2 comments:
Here's hoping that he follows through on these statements when he gets into power!! There is a lot in the statement that we are all pushing for, which is a good start. I think it needs to go a step or two further, but at least it looks like a good possibility for CHANGE to happen.
Don't be fooled by Wall's political posturing. Look carefully at Wall's comments and it should be evident that he is not promising a paradigm shift in the mindset of how rural communities are currently being treated. Wall said, “A Saskatchewan Party government would give communities a chance to gather important demographic information like what is the potential for economic development in the area . . ."
In the case of "economic development in our community, we have the "possibility" of a bio-diesel facility being built nearby, but the community was asked to come up with something in the neighbourhood of between 10 and 12 million dollars! That's a hell of a lot of bingos and bake sales! Get real; our community has no chance of coming up with this kind of cash, so we lose out on economic development. The government needs to rethink and re-invest in rural Saskatchewan. They should be the ones offering this financial incentive to these businesses so that revitalization in the rural centres is more than a memory or a pipe dream.
At the local level it is almost impossible for small towns and RM's to do anything to stop the mass exodus of people, not for lack of trying though. Meaningful measures can really only come from the groups that control the money and the true means to "sweeten the pot" for people to move back to rural Saskatchewan; this group, of course, being the government.
At the rate that we are closing schools (or considering closing schools), it will be substantially more difficult to attract health professionals to the rural areas (as if it's currently not hard enough), which spills over into other industries and businesses not being attracted to setting up shop in rural Saskatchewan.
Lastly, as my rant against "The Establishment" concludes, there needs to be a serious change in thinking with regard to how education in rural Saskatchewan is funded . . . but that point seems to have been covered by a number of other people frequenting this site. Fair does not mean equal!
"Do not go gentle into that good night" my friends. Keep fighting the good fight.
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