Province to get $74.9 million in back-to-school funding from Ottawa

Saskatchewan will be getting more than $74 million from Ottawa to help kids return to school safely.

In a release, the province announced it will be getting $74.9 million out of the $2 billion Ottawa is giving to provinces as a part of a new spending commitment.

Speaking to Gormley on Wednesday morning prior to the federal government’s announcement, Premier Scott Moe indicated he was slightly caught off guard when he heard about the funding.

He pointed to existing avenues for federal-provincial co-operation.

“We have a very strong Council of Federation table that has been reaching out to our prime minister almost on a weekly basis and we want to ensure those lines of communication and that advice is being taken both directions,” Moe said.

The premier also made a point to reassert education as a provincial responsibility.

“We’re also fully aware, as is the prime minister, that this is exclusively, without discussion, an area of provincial jurisdiction,” he said.

“Having said that, we do appreciate the funding from the federal government to ensure that we can augment the provincial plans that are in place across this nation which are quite similar, actually.”

The money will go along with the $40 million in new education funding already committed by the province.

“As we work with our sector partners to ensure a safe return to school, we know that there will be increased costs associated with staffing, preparation and supplies,” Education Minister Gordon Wyant said in the release.

“With the federal government’s contribution, there is now up to $150 million available to our education sector for costs associated with a safe return to school.”

Students are set to return to school on Sept. 8. There are 27 school divisions in the province, each coming up with its own plan to be released Wednesday.

The province says the plans may be updated or refined as students and staff return to school.

During his appearance, Moe responded to those who believe the government should have implemented a province-wide mask policy.

He argued for the flexibility in the government’s plan, which gives school divisions the autonomy to tailor their plans to smaller locales.

“What we need to do … is listen to our school divisions and listen to the parents (and) the school community councils in those divisions on what they feel is best for their particular infrastructure position, their particular school, their particular classroom, how that coincides with the provincial and public health advice that we have,” Moe said.

Earlier this summer, the Ministry of Education said it bought six million masks to distribute to school divisions to be made available on a daily and ongoing basis.

The province said the first shipment has now been delivered to all 27 school divisions and is in addition to full-face shields the province obtained that are to be made available for all staff.

The province added a second shipment of masks was set to leave the supplier Wednesday and will be delivered to school divisions during the first week of school.