87-year-old Cree woman graduates from University of Saskatchewan
Louise Fraser has become the oldest person ever to graduate from the University of Saskatchewan's Indian Teacher Education Program. She hopes to teach Cree language after completing the four-year program.
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CBC
29 minutes ago
- CBC
4 years after Toronto bought land to honour heritage oak, residents still waiting for promised parkette
Social Sharing Four years after the city of Toronto purchased a property where one of its oldest trees stands, the land around it still hasn't been transformed into the promised parkette — and locals say they want to know why. The city bought the suburban property at 76 Coral Gable Dr. in 2021 with the intention of demolishing a bungalow that sits on the 700-square metre lot and transforming the property into a parkette showcasing the tree. Estimated to be at least 250 years old and at about 24 metres tall, it towers over other trees in its Sheppard-Weston Road neighbourhood, about 300 metres from the Humber River. Construction had been scheduled to begin on the parkette in 2022 but the local councillor, Anthony Perruzza, told CBC Toronto the project has been hampered by a series of unforeseen delays. "I'm absolutely appalled," said Edith George, who lives around the corner from the tree and who has been campaigning to preserve the red oak for more than 20 years. "I'm not getting any younger and I want to see a parkette finished." Perruzza hopes to see shovels in the ground by the end of the year, but as yet, says "there's no commitment to an opening day for the parkette." That's frustrating to people who live in the area and who campaigned to help raise about half the property's $860,000 purchase price back in 2020 — a condition city councillors insisted had to be fulfilled for the city to buy the property and turn it into a parkette. Perruzza told CBC Toronto that when the city bought the property in late 2021, staff didn't realize there were tenants living in the house. Demolition work couldn't start until they moved out, which happened about two years ago, according to George. Roots and branches nearly envelop house Then there were bureaucratic snags with the demolition permit. Perruzza pointed out that city rules dictate a demolition permit can't be issued until a property owner — in this case the city — has presented a plan for the property's future development. Although a contractor has been hired, Perruzza says demolition can't start until the city has a design for the parkette. That still hasn't happened and won't until the landscape designer has been hired and has finalized a concept, in conjunction with members of the public. That work is expected to happen this summer, according to the city's website, although the page also warns "this timeline is subject to change." Once a demolition permit is issued, removing the structure won't be simple, Perruzza said, because the oak is only about a metre from the house. Its roots and branches virtually envelop the structure. "This isn't a place you can come into and tear down with machinery," he said. "People have to come in here and, by hand, remove it brick by brick and piece by piece." 'Living history' Alice Casselman, 87, a retired teacher and an environmental educator, helped with the fundraising campaign. She says she understands that park projects take time, but "bureaucracy should not take this long. "This parkette would be a fine statement of how we protect our heritage." Trevor Comer, a neighbourhood resident of Métis heritage, says the tree was a well-known wayfinding marker for both European explorers and Indigenous people as they travelled the nearby Humber River. "It's living history," Comer told CBC Toronto. He called the delays "disheartening." "We know things take time, but it's been a while." Judy Fricker, who's lived in the neighbourhood for 37 years, agreed. "It's very important to honour our past and to have something positive happening in our neighbourhood," she said. "The delays are such a disappointment." City staff told CBC Toronto in an email they "will develop a detailed tree protection plan for the demolition process. The City is considering the health and protection of the heritage oak tree at every stage of the process." Perruzza said he hopes that by the end of this year, the house will have been removed and the property graded, so the future parkette — and the red oak — will at least be accessible to the public.
CBC
30 minutes ago
- CBC
New Halifax elementary school won't be ready for September
The new St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay Elementary School in Halifax won't be ready for September, according to a message sent to families on Thursday. The original school building was demolished and its replacement was expected to open in 2023. Since then, the project has expanded, delaying its construction. "Unfortunately, the new SJAM will still not be ready to welcome students at the start of the 2025-26 school year," says the message from the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. "This is awful news and we share your disappointment. "We acknowledge how disruptive this news is, especially to your children and your family's plans for the next school year." The message goes on to say the Department of Public Works has been assured by the contractor that the school will be ready for students midway through the 2025-26 school year. It said the Halifax Regional Centre for Education would provide updates on project timelines. 'Unexpectedly complicated' "While these kinds of issues are not uncommon in the construction industry these days, we appreciate this project has been unexpectedly complicated," the message says. "The Department of Public Works has had the construction lead add more trades workers and contractors, and we have asked them to work overtime and on weekends to get the school open as quickly as possible." A followup message to families on Friday confirmed students will remain at École Beaufort until the new school is ready. Shortly before the message was sent to families, Jesse LeGallais, a parent of two children who attend St. Joseph's-Alexander McKay, told CBC Radio's Mainstreet Halifax that he was concerned about further delays. "Whether the excuses are valid or not, there has been abysmal communication from Public Works, there has been abysmal communication from the HRCE," LeGallais said. "They do send out updates, but those updates, I find, are unreliable." Advocating for the school "The Beaufort school isn't really fit to service," LeGallais said. It doesn't have a real gymnasium, it doesn't have a real music room, it doesn't have a library, it's got various issues that the staff and the teachers and principals are dealing with but there's only so much you can do," LeGallais said. He said the kids are being bused in and that extends his children's own day by up to an hour. He said it also cuts down on the amount of time parents have to interact with teachers and other parents. LeGallais said he knows of families who have pulled their children out because of the delays, but that's not something he's considering because his children have friends there and he likes the staff. "So, I think the best thing we can do is not give up on the school but to advocate on behalf of the school because if we can organize as parents and we can put enough pressure — things can get done."
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Problems persist for those needing before and after school childcare
Parents were promised the system for signing kids up for before and after school care was fixed, but as CTV's Spencer Turcotte reports, there's still uncertaint
