Latest news with #JordanPrinciple
CTV News
13-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Funding changes harming Indigenous children in rural areas, Sault group warns
Alana Macintyre and her staff at the Spark Rehabilitation Centre in the Sault say a lack of funding is forcing layoffs and harming service to clients. Alana MacIntyre, owner of Spark Rehabilitation in the Sault, is up in arms over changes to Jordan's Principle that have forced layoffs of nearly half of her staff. MacIntyre said the vast majority of those layoffs are for workers in rural areas, whose clients will soon no longer have services close to home. Spark Alana MacIntyre, owner of Spark Rehabilitation in the Sault, is up in arms over changes to Jordan's Principle that have forced layoffs of nearly half of her staff. Jordan's Principle is a human rights principle established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to ensure First Nations children do not face gaps, delays or denials in accessing government services because of their identity as First Nations children. Half of the clients at Spark for services through Indigenous Services Canada's Jordan's Principle. Now, those applications are being stalled, as the government states they can only be approved by a national review committee. 'Last week I sent an email asking, you know, when will this file be adjudicated?' MacIntyre said. 'I have a family asking, we can't give you we can't give you timelines. And yet on the website, it says five days. We've been waiting for over a year.' 'The suffering that we see on a day-to-day basis with our families, I wish that the people in Ottawa could see it and understand that when they don't adjudicate a file, it's not an ISC number.' — Alana MacIntyre, owner of Spark Rehabilitation She said the 224 stalled applications relate to nearly 175 Indigenous clients, mostly for speech pathology, occupational therapy and behaviour supports that MacIntyre said should fall under the new parameters for funding. The centre has had to lay off 30 staff from Pic Mobert to Sturgeon Falls who work with clients in their communities. That means those clients will be without the services they require. 'The suffering that we see on a day-to-day basis with our families, I wish that the people in Ottawa could see it and understand that when they don't adjudicate a file, it's not an ISC number,' MacIntyre said. 'It's a child, it's a family.' MacIntyre said that the federal government told her last Friday that she would not be paid retroactively for clients on Jordan's Principle contracts. She said that her business is owed roughly $300,000 from Indigenous Services Canada. 'It's so unethical to these children and families,' MacIntyre said. 'The government is now saying they're not going to pay me for a contract that they approved and provided me, you know, written emails stating that I could continue until the file was depleted. I don't know how somebody is allowed to do that.' Indigenous Services Canada did respond to requests from CTV News to comment on this story.
CTV News
12-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Funding changes harming Indigenous children in rural areas, Sault group warns
Alana Macintyre and her staff at the Spark Rehabilitation Centre in the Sault say a lack of funding is forcing layoffs and harming service to clients. Alana Macintyre and her staff at the Spark Rehabilitation Centre in the Sault say a lack of funding is forcing layoffs and harming service to clients in rural areas. Alana MacIntyre, owner of Spark Rehabilitation in the Sault, is up in arms over changes to Jordan's Principle that have forced layoffs of nearly half of her staff. MacIntyre said the vast majority of those layoffs are for workers in rural areas, whose clients will soon no longer have services close to home. Spark Alana MacIntyre, owner of Spark Rehabilitation in the Sault, is up in arms over changes to Jordan's Principle that have forced layoffs of nearly half of her staff. Jordan's Principle is a human rights principle established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to ensure First Nations children do not face gaps, delays or denials in accessing government services because of their identity as First Nations children. Half of the clients at Spark for services through Indigenous Services Canada's Jordan's Principle. Now, those applications are being stalled, as the government states they can only be approved by a national review committee. 'Last week I sent an email asking, you know, when will this file be adjudicated?' MacIntyre said. 'I have a family asking, we can't give you we can't give you timelines. And yet on the website, it says five days. We've been waiting for over a year.' 'The suffering that we see on a day-to-day basis with our families, I wish that the people in Ottawa could see it and understand that when they don't adjudicate a file, it's not an ISC number.' — Alana MacIntyre, owner of Spark Rehabilitation She said the 224 stalled applications relate to nearly 175 Indigenous clients, mostly for speech pathology, occupational therapy and behaviour supports that MacIntyre said should fall under the new parameters for funding. The centre has had to lay off 30 staff from Pic Mobert to Sturgeon Falls who work with clients in their communities. That means those clients will be without the services they require. 'The suffering that we see on a day-to-day basis with our families, I wish that the people in Ottawa could see it and understand that when they don't adjudicate a file, it's not an ISC number,' MacIntyre said. 'It's a child, it's a family.' MacIntyre said that the federal government told her last Friday that she would not be paid retroactively for clients on Jordan's Principle contracts. She said that her business is owed roughly $300,000 from Indigenous Services Canada. 'It's so unethical to these children and families,' MacIntyre said. 'The government is now saying they're not going to pay me for a contract that they approved and provided me, you know, written emails stating that I could continue until the file was depleted. I don't know how somebody is allowed to do that.' Indigenous Services Canada did respond to requests from CTV News to comment on this story.
CBC
12-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
N.W.T. ministers press feds to maintain Jordan's Principle funding through 2026
Northwest Territories politicians are lobbying federal officials to extend Jordan's Principle funding through 2026. Earlier this year, Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), announced it would be narrowing the range of eligible requests under the program that was created to ensure First Nations children don't face gaps or service denials because of their identities. The announcement has created uncertainty in N.W.T. schools, where many education assistant positions (EAs) are funded with money from Jordan's Principle. In Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (YK1) alone, schools are bracing to lose 79 EAs. On a trip to Ottawa earlier this month, N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland said she and other N.W.T. cabinet ministers stressed the urgency of the funding, in as many meetings as they could. "If you want more tradespeople, if you want to be able to really focus on Arctic sovereignty, if you want to build healthy communities together and be able to focus on economic development as a country, as one economy, it really does rely on children having access to education," Cleveland told CBC News. "And that's what Jordan's Principle is about." The changes in Jordan's Principle come after some reportedly used the funding for things like home renovations, gaming consoles and, in one case, a zip line kit. Cleveland acknowledged those abuses of the program but said that's not what's happening with education bodies using Jordan's Principle funds for EAs. "We are seeing education bodies really work hard to ensure that they are carrying the spirit and intent of the policy … and addressing the needs of Indigenous children," she said. The changes would also mean that every Jordan's Principle funding application must come from a referral by a health-care professional. N.W.T. Health Minister Lesa Semmler said that will further strain a system already stretched thin. "When we look at the amount of children that are going to need assessments and referrals, that is going to put a huge burden," Semmler said. "And many of our small communities where these children are getting supports don't have a health professional." Cleveland said their federal counterparts seemed to understand their concerns when they met in Ottawa this month. But she says the N.W.T. officials didn't hear an answer, or a timeline for when they might know whether the funding will be extended. "We simply don't have those answers, but we're going to continue to pull the levers that we have," she said. Cleveland said they're also in the process of coming up with a contingency plan in case the federal government does not extend the funding. "This is one of the things that certainly does keep us up at night because of the dire impacts that it could have. We have a fragile system," she said.
National Post
06-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
CUPE Alberta Calls on Minister Nicolaides to Prevent Education Crisis After Federal Funding Cuts
Article content EDMONTON, Alberta — CUPE Alberta is sounding the alarm over a looming crisis in the province's K–12 education system as hundreds of educational assistants (EAs) across the province face job losses following the withdrawal of most of the federal Jordan's Principle funding for non-reserve schools. Article content Jordan's Principle is a federal policy intended to ensure First Nations children receive the services they need without delay, including in education, health care, and social services. In Alberta, this funding has helped support educational assistants in public schools, benefiting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students. Article content Article content In a powerful open letter sent to Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides, Wendy Harman, President of CUPE 5543, warned that the cuts would be 'catastrophic' for students with complex learning needs, behavioural challenges, and those on Individualized Education Plans. Article content 'This will devastate our Alberta schools,' wrote Harman. 'Now, we are actively choosing to let more children fall through the cracks, and those cracks are growing into chasms.' Article content Harman cited alarming figures from Parkland School Division, where some schools will see their EA staffing slashed by more than half, dropping from 11 assistants to just 5 for student populations of over 600. 'Our EAs are not 'extras,'' she continued. 'They are qualified professionals who de-escalate crisis situations, manage diverse learning needs, and play a critical role in allowing classroom teachers to teach.' Article content CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal echoed the concerns and called on the provincial government to immediately step in with targeted funding to protect front-line education supports. Article content 'Educational assistants are the backbone of inclusive classrooms,' said Uppal. 'When we cut EAs, we fail students who need support the most. The Minister must act now, because these cuts affect every student in Alberta who relies on additional help to succeed.' Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
CBC
06-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Yellowknife parents anxious about losing 'invaluable' educational assistants
Social Sharing Sandy Balmer says it was a complete surprise to her, to learn that her son may no longer have an educational assistant available to help him when he starts Grade 7 next year. "I was stunned to hear that it had come down to this," the Yellowknife mother said. "I had not heard the federal government was looking at Jordan's Principle funding." Yellowknife Education District No.1 (YK1) said this week that because of the federal government's recent changes to the Jordan's Principle program, it may no longer have the funding to keep 79 of the district's education assistants next school year. Jordan's Principle was established by Ottawa to ensure that First Nations children get equal access to public services. But concerns about reported misuse of the funding prompted the government earlier this year to make sweeping changes and review its policies and procedures. Balmer said her son's educational assistant (EA) has been "invaluable" to him and his learning. She says her son has a learning disability and having an EA in the classroom helps him regulate his emotions and maintain his focus. He's had access to an EA since kindergarten. "The school recommended that we access Jordan's Principle funding for a classroom assistant for him," Balmer recalled. "He requires just a little bit extra attention, a little bit extra focus and redirection when he's learning." She says other kids in the classroom have also benefited from having that EA available. The educational assistants "were doing great work," she said. "Like, he wouldn't be where he is without these people, for sure." She says she's especially anxious as her son will be starting high school after next year. "I'm actually quite concerned about how his learning will be supported, if he doesn't have these people in his life." Schools will 'look and feel different' YK1 superintendent Shirley Zouboules says it's not clear when officials might get a definitive answer from Ottawa about the funding it's applied for, for next year. That's why the school district gave notice to the 79 EAs that they might not have jobs next school year. "I have no sense of when we will hear back. As it currently stands, we have not heard back directly on any of the applications that we have submitted," Zouboules said on Thursday morning. Losing those positions means YK1 schools "are going to look and feel different," she said. "Certainly it's going to have an impact," she said. "It's going to be significant. We have a staff of 330 currently — that includes all of our teachers and support — and we'll lose 24 per cent." Zouboules said YK1 has funding right now for 39 EAs for next year. CBC News requested an interview with N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland about the changes to Jordan's Principle and what it could mean for the territory's schools. A department spokesperson said Cleveland was not available for an interview as she was in Ottawa meeting with officials and advocating for the continuation of the "incredibly important" program. Asked whether the education department might now fill any funding gap, spokesperson Christina Carrigan said in an email to CBC News that "the focus right now is on advocating to the federal government." "The [Government of N.W.T.] cannot afford to take on the programs that the federal government introduces and does not continue," she wrote.
