WHITE CITY - With the Speech from the Throne just one day away, the opposition New Democrats were in White City on Tuesday calling for a new high school to be built in that community.
Opposition Leader Carla Beck and Education Critic Matt Love met with local officials Tuesday in support of a new high school for the area.
“Parents and municipal leaders and Prairie Valley School Division have all been calling on the provincial government to build a high school in this growing community for well over a decade. They reached a point where the two local elementary schools are operating over capacity. It should be a top priority for the government,” said Beck.
“The best investment we could make in our province and in our communities, is ensuring that we have the infrastructure to meet the growing demand and to realize that potential. These communities have waited patiently, and for well over a decade, and enough is enough. And we say to the provincial government, if you’re not going to build this high school, the Saskatchewan NDP will get it done if elected in 2024.”
White City, which along with adjoining Emerald Park is among the fastest growing population areas the province, is the only community above 5,000 population in Saskatchewan without a high school.
According to White City’s website, Prairie Valley School Division had announced in January that construction of a high school in White City/Emerald Park was its top priority. The NDP pointed to a petition that was signed by 700 residents calling for a new high school.
Mayor Brian Fergusson noted there were two elementary schools in White City and Emerald Park area that serve not only locally but also surrounding areas. The local high school students either go to Greenall in Balgonie or to high schools in Regina.
Fergusson noted both their elementary schools are currently overcapacity, and said it was their estimate that by 2030 that some 600 high school students are projected as being from White City alone. The elementary school population is expected to grow as well as the community and surrounding area continues to expand.
“There’s going to be a pressing need across-the-board for additional facilities here,” said Fergusson.
Right now it’s estimated current high school students take 15 minutes to an hour to get to and from high school in Balgonie. The bus times for elementary students in the rural areas can be extensive as well.
One parent who lives in the rural area, Sam Lawler, said her kids already take the bus 45 minutes each way to and from Ecole White City where they attend.
“I know that my kids’ classes are very full, I know that schools they attend are overcapacity, and that is going to continue as they get up into high school. The students who are here, who live here in White City, have to go all the way to Balgonie which is not really where the population centre is.”
Beck noted the growth of White City and Emerald Park was not unexpected. She accused the government of not being responsive to that growth.
“This has been a fast growing community in a fast growing area of the province. These needs have been projected for years, and up until now we’ve heard silence from the provincial government. What we’re saying is the mayor, the council, the community, the parent voices here, the school division have made the case. There is a need for this high school, and if elected in 2024 we commit to ensuring that high school is built.”
White City officials have been seeking a meeting with the new Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill on a new high school. So far that has not transpired but they are still working with his office to have a face to face meeting. They had previously met with the previous Education Minister Dustin Duncan, and the mayor says they hope to get back on the new minister’s radar.
Regarding the Throne Speech Wednesday, Fergusson said he hoped to see some commitment to a high school in White City.
“We would love to see an announcement that a decision has been made to fund a high school in our area,” Fergusson said. “We've certainly given our concern over well over a decade, arguably two decades, that we think it’s long overdue.”
Beck wanted to see the government get back to addressing priorities that are top of mind including the cost of living, health care pressures, and the overcrowding and infrastructure in education.
“My expectation, although I’ve been disappointed a number of times by the government, would be that they understand the concerns that people have in this province, and they seek to find solutions instead of sowing divisions, which is what we’ve seen from them recently.”
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