Sask. NDP blames Premier Moe for teacher shortage in North

The provincial opposition says a decision made by Premier Scott Moe when he was minister for advanced education resulted in current teacher shortages in northern Saskatchewan.

The Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) started the 2018 school year 14 teachers short.

NLSD director of education Jason Young previously acknowledged that some of the recruiting challenges in northern Saskatchewan could be attributed to how teachers are trained in the North.

On Wednesday, NDP Leader Ryan Meili kicked off Question Period by saying one of Moe's first accomplishments as then minister of advanced education was signing a five-year funding agreement with the Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP).​

"Less than a year later, he walked away from his signature and eliminated funding for that program," Meili said in Question Period. "Now, just a year after that decision, we're already seeing teacher shortages in Northern Saskatchewan, teacher shortages that will only get worse in the absence of NORTEP."

Tina Beaudry-Mellor, current minister for advanced education, said teacher education programs still exist in La Ronge and in La Loche, through Northlands College and through the Dene Teacher Education Program respectively.

"Attracting teachers to the North is a challenge," Beaudry-Mellor said. "I've been to the North a number of times and I hear that pretty much every time I go."

She said the government is working with communities to support initiatives to attract professionals and address housing challenges.

Beaudry-Mellor said there are currently 25 people enrolled in Northlands College's teacher education program and there are five seats available in the Dene Teacher Education Program.

She said conversations still need to take place with administrators of the Dene Teacher Education program to find out why it is not operating at capacity.

Northlands College couldn't commit to programming

Northlands College was prepared to defer NORTEP/NORPAC program to three other institutes better equipped to handle a teacher education program, according to proposal documents obtained by CBC.

"Unlike NORTEP/NORPAC or Gabriel Dumont Institute, we do not have an existing agreement with a degree granting institution to offer a Teacher Education Program," the Northlands College proposal read.

"Therefore, we are unable to unilaterally commit, or even propose to commit, to the continued delivery of the NORTEP/NORPAC programming without the proper support of either, or both, of the degree granting institutions that provide the credentials for the NORTEP/NORPAC program."

The proposal indicated Northlands College would be willing to work with programs like the University of Regina, the University of Saskatchewan or the Gabriel Dumont Institute with the capacity of granting degrees should they earn the programming.

"I wasn't the minister at the time and so I can't go back and revisit the decisions that were made on that basis," Beaudry-Mellor said.

The minister said she thinks Northlands is getting proper support from the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina in implementing its NORTEP programming.

She said one of the first things she did as minister of advanced education was visit Northlands College and discuss the consolidation with students. Those discussions were positive she said, despite "disruptions" in the community around the consolidation of the program.

"I have confidence in Northlands," Beaudry-Mellor said. "We have a CEO there who's doing a very good job. I think we have faculty and staff there who are doing a good job."

With files from Adam Hunter