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Topic: Chuck Strahl refuses new school for Attawapiskat
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unionist
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 11323
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posted 30 May 2008 05:15 PM
quote:
In Attawapiskat, a James Bay community with more than 400 school-age children, students have been in limbo since the community school was closed in 2000. Ever since, the school has been simply several portables. ...Many of Ms. Pellett's students campaigned for a new school three years ago. The previous Liberal government promised them that one would be built by 2008. But when the Conservatives said there would be no new school, the children stepped up their efforts. One student made a PowerPoint presentation and put it on YouTube. A website was created to post updates on the campaign. With help from local MP Charlie Angus, they managed to get attention from non-native students and teachers across the province. ... Meanwhile, three of the Attawapiskat students had a 45-minute private meeting with the minister to make their pitch. They were told they would have to wait. No date for a new school was offered. "I cried and some of my friends cried and some of my elders cried," said Shannen Koostachin, 13, one of the students at the meeting. "When I shook his hand, I told him that we're not going to quit." Speaking later with reporters, Mr. Strahl said the easy thing to do would have been to promise a new school. But he said at least 30 or 40 other communities have more pressing needs. "These schools, these portables, I admit, are less than ideal, but they're not a health and safety issue," he said. "If there's a door that's not working or a window that's stuck or something, the community gets a million dollars [a year] for operation and maintenance."
Sorry for quoting so much of this story, but it's hard to convey the flavour of the cruelty of these people. Please read the whole thing.
From: Vote QS! | Registered: Dec 2005
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Boom Boom
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 7791
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posted 30 May 2008 06:35 PM
FB: The Children of Attawapiskat Fight for A new SchoolAttawapiskat - in pictures excerpt: By now, ATT should be reaping its benefits of the daBeer's Daimond Mine - or at least I thought so. Currently, no real school for the children, crowded housing exploding exponentially, crappy muddy streets where insurance companies dare not touch, and expanded contaminated areas of past spilt diesel fuel now being fully realized, including the Nursery/Day Care School. Pardon my language, but what the "hell" is going on? Sometimes when I pull out my Status Card down south, I can almost sense a bit of envy from other shoppers: "Lucky Bastards". In the back of my mind, I would think, "If they only knew... This group will expose that myth and try to dispell it - focusing on the plight of ATT - through pictures.
From: Make the rich pay! | Registered: Dec 2004
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Boom Boom
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 7791
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posted 30 May 2008 07:02 PM
All kinds of accomodations are made for training for the De Beers mine, but the feds can't fund a desperately needed new school? Government of Canada invests in Aboriginal training for Northern Ontario diamond mine excerpt: The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, today confirmed federal funding of $7.87 million for the James Bay Employment and Training project under the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program. This ASEP project brings together Aboriginal communities, industry and other orders of government to offer skills development and employment opportunities in the DeBeers Victor Diamond mine operation located near Attawapiskat, a First Nations community in the James Bay lowland in Northern Ontario.
From: Make the rich pay! | Registered: Dec 2004
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jester
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 11798
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posted 07 August 2008 05:24 PM
Does anyone have links to the policies and procedures in place in the IA department regarding the disbursement of funding to bands for education?Is this an issue to be addressed through one-off negotiations or is there a systemic funding process failure? With the budget that IA has, why are there "30 to 40 more communities have more pressing needs"? My opinion is that the very generous IA budget is first utilised to address the pressing and not so pressing needs of the stoogocrats at IA before a cent is spent on "more pressing needs" but then since the AG doesn't report on IA, I'm just guessing.
From: Against stupidity, the Gods themselves contend in vain | Registered: Jan 2006
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