Students Helping Students

Help Ontario's forgotten children

 

Where is it?

Attawapiskat is an isolated, fly-in community on the coast of James Bay. It is located 455 kilometres north of Timmins, Ontario.

Who are they?

The residents of Attawapiskat are known as the “Mushkego” -- the Swampy Cree of western James Bay. There are over 1300 people in the community.

What's the issue?

For 8 years, Attawapiskat children have had no school. In 2000, the grade school was closed because children were getting sick from a massive diesel spill under the school. The spill happened in 1979 while the government of Canada was operating the school. Since then, 400 students have had to rely on portables.

The community has worked hard to get a new school built. Three federal Indian Affairs Ministers have committed to moving ahead with the project. In December 2007, however, the new Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl arbitrarily cancelled the proposed school. The government claims there is no money for First Nation schools for the next five years. And yet, last year they refused to spend over $109 million that had been allocated for infrastructure projects like schools. This money was sent back to Treasury Board.

Why is this Happening?

There are two standards for education in Canada. Every non-Native child has guaranteed rights under provincial education standards. The First
Nation children of Canada have no such rights. This means that reserve schools are built with inadequate classroom sizes, fewer resources and less special education dollars. A system of educational Apartheid exists in Canada. We must change this appalling double-standard.