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English Catholic school board could lay off more than 70 educational assistants

A union says the Huron Superior Catholic District School Board is planning to lay off as many as 74 educational assistants funded through Jordan’s Principle at the end of the school year.
CUPE 4148 President Crystal Krauter said it’s unclear if all of the positions will be cut, or if the school board will attempt to restructure some of the positions for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Krauter says the loss will be devastating for the 74 students that access the program, and the dispute over who will support funding will likely mean all 74 educational assistants at the board will lose their jobs.
The board confirmed a reduction for the upcoming school year, which they have no control over, due to recent changes in funding from Indigenous Services Canada related to Jordan’s Principle.
New or renewed requests for funding after that date will fall under new criteria.
Under the new guidelines that went into effect April 1, educational assistant support, which is considered an enhancement, will no longer be eligible for funding through Jordan’s Principle.
The board also stressed that it is not reducing its own support or services for students.
Jordan’s Principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a Manitoba boy with multiple disabilities who died in hospital waiting for the province and Ottawa to decide who should pay for health supports that would allow him to go home.
There were 614,350 funding requests through Jordan’s Principle approved in 2021-2022.
But in 2023-2024, the number of requests ballooned to almost three million — representing a 367-per-cent increase.
The changes to the funding come almost a year after the federal government argued before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal that requests were being made for several non-urgent things including gaming consoles and bicycles.
Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russellhttp://myespanolanow.com
Rosalind is Vista Radio's CJJM 99.3 FM - CJJM - Espanola's long-time Morning Announcer and Regional News Anchor/Journalist covering the districts of Sudbury, Algoma and Manitoulin. With a career in multi-media spanning the last 45 years, she has expertise in radio, television, newspaper and magazine writing. A long-time volunteer, she is the Inaugural 2025 Senior of the Year Award representing the Town of Espanola and represented women empowerment as the national 2024 Ms. Elite Regional Canada titleholder. A mother of five, and grandmother of two says simply, "I am the Queen of my Universe, and my children/grandchildren are my Crowning Jewels." Volunteering, pageants, reading and writing are her passions. If you have a story to share, email Roz at: [email protected] or call 1705-869-NEWS (6397).

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