WHITE CITY - The New Democrats have made another education pledge Wednesday, this time promising a new high school in White City.
Opposition Leader Carla Beck stood across the street from the White City elementary school to make the campaign commitment to a new White City high school, repeating earlier commitments her party had made.
"White City and Emerald Park are two of the fastest growing communities in the province, communities full of opportunity and potential with so much to offer young families. But these communities have been held back and ignored by Scott Moe and the Sask Party."
She described White City and Emerald Park as the only communities in Saskatchewan over 5,000 in population without without a high school. She said that for over a decade, parents, leaders, and school board trustees within the Prairie Valley School Division had called for the high school, and that 800 people had signed a petition to that effect.
"What was Premier Moe's response? Crickets. This is simply not a priority for him and his government. In fact, he's taken White City and Emerald Park for granted for too long."
Beck pledged that on day one of a Saskatchewan NDP government, she would instruct the Ministry of Education to review project proposals from Prairie Valley School Division. "And I expect there will be shovels in the ground by the end of 2025. Families in this community have waited too long and it's time for change."
Currently, students in White City and Emerald Park attend high school several kilometres away in Balgonie and in Regina.
"There is a huge need for a school here," said Grady Birns, NDP candidate for White City- Qu'Appelle. "Many parents have shared their frustrations of having to send their kids on a bus to a school that's already overcrowded. The students I have spoken to simply want to attend school in the community they love."
Birns added that ever since the NDP made the commitment last year to build the new high school, he said there had been a reaction of enthusiasm as well as comments such as "I've heard that one before."
"After 17 years of a tired Sask Party government skepticism is justified."
The NDP's latest promise came one day after a campaign stop in Saskatoon in advance of a fall provincial election call. There, Beck pledged an NDP government would invest $2 billion to address problems in education including class sizes.
In response to these announcements, Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill has fired back. In a statement from Cockrill released Wednesday afternoon, he questioned the NDP pledges as well as the costs.
"Yesterday, the NDP promised $2 billion in new spending without telling us where the money is coming from. Today they are promising a new school, one that’s not even on the division’s top three priority list, while also promising to fast track it without explaining how that will be achieved.
"It’s disappointing to see that as a former trustee, the Leader of the Opposition would prioritize new schools for political points as opposed to consulting with the local division to meet their needs.
"Our record on building new schools could not be more clear. Our government continues to build on our record education capital budget that has over 28 major capital projects currently underway or in the planning stages across the province. This is part of the over $2.6 billion that our government has allocated toward school infrastructure which includes 69 new schools and 32 major renovation projects since forming office. Specific to Prairie Valley, one of their top capital priorities was an addition and renovation at Greenall High School and that project is well underway.
"The NDP closed 176 schools last time they were in office and Saskatchewan taxpayers can't afford the NDP's reckless, irresponsible spending promises."
A day earlier, Premier Moe took to the X platform where he also blasted the NDP record.
"I see the NDP is now promising to 'improve' education and 'build new schools faster.' Just a reminder that the last time the NDP was in government, they closed 176 schools. That’s an average of one school a month closed for 16 years. The best indicator of future behaviour is past behaviour."
In response to questions about their capital spending plan for schools, Beck said this "isn't about taking away, this is about ensuring where schools are desperately needed, and in the case of White City - Emerald Park, overdue by a decade, that we're doing the necessary planning to ensure that those schools are built."
"This community has been making the case very clearly. I remember having conversations going back when I was still the critic for Education. This is a school that's been needed for a long time. There are future subdivisions that are planned that will make the need for this school even more intense. You know, this has fallen on deaf ears. This has simply not been a priority for Scott Moe and his government. This will be a priority for our government."
