Alberta school division lays off 46 educational assistants, blames federal funding delay 

An association that represents public school boards in Alberta says federal funding delays are putting the education of Indigenous children at risk and have already led to the layoffs of dozens of educational assistants in central Alberta.

In a letter sent to Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu last week, the Public School Boards' Association of Alberta (PSBAA) said school boards that submitted applications for Jordan's Principle requests in May are still waiting for the federal government to approve them. 

Jordan's Principle is a legal rule that aims to make sure First Nations children receive the services they need right away. The principle was named after Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation who died in hospital while the provincial and federal governments argued over which was responsible for paying for his home-based care.

The PSBAA said in the letter that school boards' applications have been moved to a national review committee, and they have been given no assurance of receiving approvals during the school year.

"I would implore you to take action immediately and given the timing, approve all applications for this academic year," PSBAA president Dennis MacNeil wrote in the letter.

The delay has led to the Wild Rose School Board's decision to lay off 46 educational assistants, who had been working with First Nations students since September. The assistants were told about the decision last week and their last day will be Friday.

Superintendent Brad Volkman told CBC News in an interview on Monday that the division hired the assistants based on its past experience applying for federal funding from the previous two years.

"We found that even though sometimes the money was delayed, we always got the sense that we had been approved and we could move forward because one of the main principles of Jordan's Principle is that the support needs to come quickly," he said.

Without the federal funding, continuing to pay for the assistants is unsustainable, Volkman said. The division has already spent about $750,000 on the positions.

The layoffs mean 46 students will no longer have specialized tutors, classroom aides and one-one-on support, he said.

The Wild Rose School Division operates 17 schools, serving the communities of Drayton Valley, Rocky Mountain House, Breton, Caroline, Leslieville and Condor.

The school division also sent a letter to federal and provincial politicians, saying the funding delays undermine the purpose of Jordan's Principle and will have "long-lasting and difficult to reverse" effects.

Volkman said the division hopes to rehire the educational assistants if its group application is approved but that may not be easy to do. The former EAs could find other jobs, he said, and it could be difficult to attract people if the positions are not seen as being secure. 

Volkman and MacNeil are not the only ones urging the federal government to process applications faster. 

Last month, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ordered Canada to immediately address the backlog of Jordan's Principle applications and create a detailed plan with targets and deadlines. 

Indigenous Services Canada has since expressed concerns with some of the ordered deadlines, describing them as "not operationally feasible."

According to the ministry's report to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal panel, as of Dec. 4, the backlog in Alberta was at 14,000 requests, including 2,791 urgent requests. 

The ministry said in the report it has taken important steps to address urgent backlogged requests and each region has developed internal triaging processes to address cases where failing to act immediately could result in irremediable harm to a First Nations child. 

Blake Desjarlais, the NDP MP for Edmonton Griesbach called the backlog "unacceptable" in a news release on Friday.

"If the Liberals are serious about reconciliation, they need to fix Jordan's Principle and make sure Indigenous kids are getting the help they desperately need," he said.

Eric Head, a spokesperson for Indigenous Services Canada, said the ministry is working to develop processes and operations to meet the growing volume of requests. 

"We remain focused on advancing a long-term approach for Jordan's Principle with partners and ensuring First Nations children have equal access to services they need," he said.

Head said some decisions on educational support requests have been sent back to requestors in Alberta and others are being reviewed.

CBC News asked the provincial government if it had considered stepping in to fund the educational assistant positions in central Alberta.

Kevin Lee, press secretary for Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides, said in an emailed statement that the province is not involved in Jordan's Principle applications.

He said the province is providing $86 million to school authorities so they can implement calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and improve outcomes for Indigenous students. 

Lee also said the province has made other investments to support school authorities, allowing them to hire educational assistants and other staff.