'A deal breaker': Sask. virtual school opposes government mandate to centralize remote learning
A remote learning program in Saskatchewan has expressed worries following an announcement by the provincial government which will see online learning centralized.
Flex Ed is the pioneer of online learning in Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon based virtual school has been delivering K-12 classes into the homes of students for 17 years.
Now, the Government of Saskatchewan is setting up a crown corporation to deliver online learning for the next school year.
It is asking Flex Ed to apply for approval to take part and to meet unspecified requirements. A process that was described as a deal-breaker by Flex Ed principal Ann Cook.
“We’d have to move to a centralized platform that they would choose which is a deal breaker for us because we have spent 17 years integrating all of our content,” Cook said.
The government wants to centralize 33 online programs operated by public school divisions in the province. Catholic Schools are exempted.
The goal is to bring 4,000 students onto one platform.
“Whether it’s the new centralized model in the public system or any of our other school divisions, the Catholic or the French or the qualified independent,” Minister of Education Dustin Duncan explained.
“We do have a quality assurance framework.”
The 500 students attending the Flex Ed program meet government academic requirements with tuition paid by the province.
One parent, whose son has cancer, is worried about losing the flexibility offered by Flex Ed.
“He doesn’t necessarily feel well enough to do his schoolwork each and every day, but there are some days where he feels really great and he can zoom through a whole pile of school work in a day,” Carmen Herzog explained.
“So, to have that freedom of time and that flexibility, it’s just huge to us.”
Minister Duncan expressed he doesn’t believe the Flex Ed program will be impacted.
However, he did admit there are still many questions to be answered about the government’s new online education framework.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is going on with Bill C-11, the government's online streaming legislation?
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing. With a potential parliamentary showdown ahead, here's what you need to know about how the contentious Broadcasting Act bill got to this stage.
What should Canada be doing about climate change? 25 recommendations
The national Net-Zero Advisory Body released 25 recommendations Friday for how Canada can adjust its climate plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 — a goal that the country is not on track to reach right now, according to the report.
Canadian government posts $3.6 billion deficit between April and November
The federal government posted a budgetary deficit of $3.6 billion in the first eight months of the fiscal year.
Bear on Mars? NASA satellite snaps a strange formation
What looks like a giant teddy bear’s face peering into space from the surface of Mars is actually a satellite image of some craters and a circular fracture, scientists say.
Mandatory minimum penalty for firing gun at house unconstitutional: Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that a mandatory minimum sentence of four years for firing a gun at a house is unconstitutional.
Zellers rolling out food trucks for Canadians 'craving a taste of nostalgia'
Though you won't be able to sit on the old, cracked pleather benches and take in the thick smell of gravy and fries, while the gentle sound of clanging dishes provides the soundtrack for your lunch, Zellers plans to roll out food trucks for those 'craving a taste of nostalgia.'
Pierre Poilievre tells Tory caucus cities are turning into 'crime zones'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre doubled down on his belief that "everything feels broken" Friday, as he laced into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for suggesting otherwise.
Thousands of Maritimers still without power after Thursday storm
Thursday’s wet and windy storm has knocked out power to thousands of people in the Maritimes, most of which are in Nova Scotia.
RCMP warn of potential weekend highway delays near Coutts, Alta. during protest convoy
Freedom rally supporters are expected to congregate near the southern Alberta border town of Coutts on Saturday and RCMP officials say motorists in the area should expect to face highway delays.
Saskatoon
-
'Just sick to my stomach': Sask. mom says cheer team asked daughter to hide self-harm scars
A Saskatchewan mother says her 13-year-old daughter is being shamed for her past mental health challenges.
-
Saskatoon fire sparked by paper shredder
Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) says a shredder was the cause of a fire at a document storage and destruction company early Friday.
-
Rising Saskatoon rental prices are fuelling homelessness numbers, community group says
Rising rental rates and diminishing options are causing some with lower income to forgo housing altogether, a Saskatoon community organization says.
Winnipeg
-
'An opportunity': Manitoba finance minister quits for federal run
Manitoba's finance minister is stepping down to run for a seat in the House of Commons.
-
Manitoba premier reveals $850 million spending package
The Manitoba government is outlining how it’s spending $850 million on health-care, inflationary relief, and municipal wastewater projects.
-
More schools closed after Manitoba middle school receives another threatening voicemail
Several schools in southwest Manitoba were closed Friday after a round of threatening voicemails came in over the last week.
Calgary
-
RCMP warn of potential weekend highway delays near Coutts, Alta. during protest convoy
Freedom rally supporters are expected to congregate near the southern Alberta border town of Coutts on Saturday and RCMP officials say motorists in the area should expect to face highway delays.
-
Alberta government invests in addiction treatment for Calgary
The Alberta government is pledging more money to help those struggling with addiction in Calgary by adding more recovery spaces that are completely free to use.
-
Canadian figure skater Elladj Baldé pays tribute to Calgary in new video
'Calgary changed my life and since moving here with my wife,' said Elladj Baldé.
Edmonton
-
No natural gas rebate for Albertans in February, province says
The Alberta government says homeowners will still be seeing an energy rebate on their February utility bills, but it won't be as much as it was last month.
-
$50K awarded to innovators with ideas about how to stop catalytic converter thefts
An Edmonton woman and her daughter whose catalytic converter was stolen in 2022 have won $25,000 for a product police believe will deter thieves from stealing the automotive part.
-
Review of oilsands cleanup funding program needs public input, says Alberta NDP
Alberta's New Democrat Opposition says a government review of the program that's supposed to ensure oilsands companies can clean up their mines was conducted too privately and should have been done in public.
Toronto
-
'A Band-Aid solution': Ford responds to increased police presence on the TTC following surge in violence
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said and increased police presence on the TTC “is great,” but not enough of a solution to resolve the issue that has left some customers anxious to ride the transit.
-
Toronto Maple Leafs star Matthews sidelined for at least three weeks
Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews will miss at least three weeks with a knee sprain, the team announced Friday.
-
4 people charged, $800k in cash seized after RCMP bust alleged 'large-scale' drug importation network
Four Toronto residents have been charged and about $3 million worth of cash and goods have been seized after the RCMP busted an alleged 'large-scale' drug importation network.
Ottawa
-
Police increase downtown presence, access to Parliament Hill restricted on anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' protest
Ottawa police and Bylaw Services are telling residents and visitors they will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to parking, noise and fireworks violations downtown this weekend, on the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.
-
'Inexcusable and deeply troubling:' Ottawa police condemn Tyre Nichols' death as world braces for release of video
As the world awaits the release of a police video showing five officers viciously beating Tyre Nichols, Ottawa police have issued a statement condemning his death.
-
Man, 53, dies in workplace incident near Prescott, Ont.
Ontario's ministry of labour is investigating after a man died in a workplace incident near Prescott, Ont.
Vancouver
-
Yellow lights illuminate B.C. landmarks for International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Yellow lights illuminated Vancouver City Hall overnight ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27.
-
Vancouver draw will determine who gets to pay six figures for a bottle of Scotch
A draw will be held at the BC Liquor Store at Cambie Street and 39th Avenue in Vancouver Friday to determine who will win the opportunity to pay $110,000 for a bottle of Scotch whisky.
-
Vancouver Island city councillor charged with assault
A Vancouver Island city councillor is on a mandatory leave of absence after he was charged with assault. Court documents show Coun. David Frisch was charged with assault against an intimate partner following an incident on Jan. 7.
Montreal
-
Holocaust remembrance: Survivor, born in Nazi concentration camp, recounts early years
Angela Orosz is one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. On Dec. 21, 1944, she was born in a concentration camp. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazis and collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. More than two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was killed.
-
Police make 3 more arrests after teen attacked with hammer at Montreal high school
Three more people have been arrested in connection with a hammer attack on a 16-year-old boy Monday outside a school in Montreal North, police said Friday.
-
Montreal to reconfigure Sainte-Marie one-way streets to enhance safety after girl dies in hit-and-run
The City of Montreal says it will reconfigure some roads into one-way streets in the Sainte-Marie neighbourhood to make them safer for pedestrians following last month's hit-and-run that killed a young girl.
Vancouver Island
-
Vancouver Island city councillor charged with assault
A Vancouver Island city councillor is on a mandatory leave of absence after he was charged with assault. Court documents show Coun. David Frisch was charged with assault against an intimate partner following an incident on Jan. 7.
-
First of its kind ultrasound clinic opening on Vancouver Island
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix was at Camosun College on Thursday to unveil a new ultrasound clinic that's designed to fast-track specialized care for thousands.
-
NEW
NEW | 'I've only got one set of hands': Last remaining ER doctor in B.C. town wants to hire assistant with own money
Hardy Hospital's emergency room is headed for life support, says the only ER doctor expected to be available as of July 1.
Atlantic
-
Thousands of Maritimers still without power after Thursday storm
Thursday’s wet and windy storm has knocked out power to thousands of people in the Maritimes, most of which are in Nova Scotia.
-
Suspect sought in murder of Saint John man; fourth person arrested in case
A fourth person has been arrested in the murder of a man in Saint John, N.B., last summer and now police say they are looking for a fifth person in connection with the case.
-
Yarmouth man found guilty of second-degree murder in death of Colton Cook
A jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the 2020 murder of a man from the Yarmouth, N.S., area.
Northern Ontario
-
Six charged, $20K in drugs seized in Iroquois Falls bust
Police seized about $20,000 in narcotics in a raid of a northern Ontario home on Wednesday and now six people are facing charges.
-
Sudbury woman killed when snowmobile goes through ice
The body of a 29-year-old Sudbury nurse was recovered Wednesday night from a lake near Parry Sound after her snowmobile went through the ice, police say.
-
Exclusive club in Toronto fined $35K for telling man with autism he required supervision at all times
The family of a prominent Toronto artist with autism is speaking out after one of the city’s oldest private clubs demanded he be supervised at all times while using the facilities – a decision that prompted the artist to file a complaint with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.
Kitchener
-
DEVELOPING
DEVELOPING | Van towed away from area of sudden death investigation in Perth County
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have shut down a section of Perth Road 122 north of Stratford, Ont. as officers investigate a sudden death.
-
Neighbours raise concerns about hybrid shelter at community meeting
Residents had a chance to ask questions and raise concerns about the hybrid shelter planned for Erbs Road at a community meeting in Waterloo on Thursday night.
-
'Always say I love you': Ancaster mother on the grief of losing her teen son in a car crash
An Ancaster mom is mourning the death of her 19-year-old son who died in a Brant County crash on Jan. 21.