This letter is to bring to attention to current proposed changes to the province's regional college system and the concerns of One Arrow First Nation.
To date, our partnership with Carlton Trail Regional College (CTRC) to provide Adult Basic Education has been a great success. We are seeing enrolment, retention and completion at levels never before seen on One Arrow. However, we are deeply concerned about how the "amalgamation" of CTRC with St. Peter's College (SPC) will affect the prioritization of services for not only First Nation communities, but the access to programming for all communities in the Carlton Trail region.
According to the February 23, 2010 CTRC Board minutes, CTRC will be "dissolved" and will fall under the SPC Act - which was put in place in 1968 to govern a private religious institution. If the "dissolution" of CTRC does not include regulations set in place by the Government of Saskatchewan to mandate SPC to follow the Regional Colleges' Act, there is a real risk that Adult Basic Education and many other programs will be in the hands of a privately controlled board and institution.
No longer will the people of Saskatchewan, through the Ministry, have a say in what programs will be offered in the area and at what cost. Moreover, there has been little mention of what will happen to the significant public assets in the event that CTRC is "dissolved" with St. Peter's College.
SPC is, without a doubt, an outstanding institution that has traditionally offered university level classes at the entry level. CTRC, on the other hand, has offered ABE and technical training. Even though they are a "stone's throw away," they offer very different services with different approaches. Much of the operations at CTRC run on government funded programming, both provincial and federal. Why is the Ministry considering channelling these funds into a private institution, rather than back to the publicly-owned CTRC? How will the dissolution affect the tuition levels for these students if regional college programs become a for-profit venture?
The dissolution could potentially have a far-reaching effect on not only those in the Carlton Trail region, but also for other regional colleges. What threat does this type of policy pose for the privatization of other regional colleges around the province?
Over the last year, there has been a lot of talk about workforce shortages in Saskatchewan, especially skilled labour. These shortages will likely be seen in the Carlton Trail region with its proximity to the nearby potash mines. There has been talk by the Government of Saskatchewan, the Government of Canada, namely Indian and Northern Affairs and many businesses in Saskatchewan, including the potash companies about the importance of getting First Nations people job- ready. With the threat of losing CTRC, we fear that key individuals and programs will be eliminated due to the choices made by a private board.
We cannot express how beneficial these programs are to our community and I am sure to Humboldt and the surrounding communities. The staff at Carlton Trail Regional College have gone above and beyond to make our programs a success. The access, communication and effort from the staff has been first class. It would be a real disservice to let these established programs go by the wayside after all the work that has been done.
Through media outlets, we have been given the impression that the directive of the "merger" is to create an elite college in rural Saskatchewan. We recognize the importance of educational excellence, but we also hope that our front-line programs will not be sacrificed, considering the calibre of the existing University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina.
We believe the questions asked should be "What is needed?" and "What is realistic?" An even better question is "Who does this merger serve?" Does it serve the greater good of the majority of students and staff who currently and potentially access and run the services? Or does it service a smaller, elite group of people or a private institution?
It is imperative that, whether or not CTRC joins SPC, we see action on the part of the Government of Saskatchewan to walk the walk and make good decisions to ensure that not just First Nations communities but also all residents of Saskatchewan have affordable access, to these programs. Furthermore, we hope that, given the statements made by Advanced Education Minister Rob Norris in the September 9 issue of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, the concerns and needs of First Nations communities will be taken seriously.
