June 25, 2020 Human Services Committee 1079 Evolving Situation That Has Been Non-Static, So to Speak
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STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES Hansard Verbatim Report No. 61 — June 25, 2020 Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan Twenty-Eighth Legislature STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES Mr. Larry Doke, Chair Cut Knife-Turtleford Ms. Danielle Chartier, Deputy Chair Saskatoon Riversdale Mr. Herb Cox The Battlefords Mr. Muhammad Fiaz Regina Pasqua Hon. Todd Goudy Melfort Ms. Nicole Rancourt Prince Albert Northcote Ms. Nadine Wilson Saskatchewan Rivers Published under the authority of The Hon. Mark Docherty, Speaker STANDING COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES 1077 June 25, 2020 [The committee met at 15:00.] House was suspended in February of this year and the estimates were made public at that time, and then the subsequent estimates The Chair: — Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the that were tabled in this year’s budget, there was no additional Standing Committee on Human Services. My name is Larry increase for operations for the K to 12 [kindergarten to grade 12] Doke. I’m your committee Chair. And we’re joined today by system. What would have been the cost to reduce, I guess, is the MLA [Member of the Legislative Assembly] Nadine Wilson, the question I want to ask. Why was there no additional funding, and Hon. Todd Goudy, MLA Muhammad Fiaz, MLA Herb Cox, and what would be the cost to the K to 12 system if we were to reduce MLA Carla Beck. class sizes, say to 15, as other jurisdictions have done? General Revenue Fund Hon. Mr. Wyant: — Well that’s certainly not a scenario that we Education were planning for in any event, so certainly no estimate of what Vote 5 the cost would be to the system if that was the case. But again the chief medical health officer has indicated that he sees no reason Subvote (ED01) why school can’t resume in the fall with full classes, as it has in the past, having regard to the safety measures that have been set The Chair: — Today we’ll be considering the estimates and out in his guidelines. supplementary estimates for the Ministry of Education, vote 5, Education, central management and services in subvote (ED01). Ms. Beck: — Fifteen does seem to be the number that other Minister Wyant is here with his officials. I don’t think we need provinces are contemplating with regard to decreased class sizes. to have introductions again. We can just carry on. So, Ms. Beck, I’m just wondering, is there something particular about the you’re up. Saskatchewan situation that would lead us to not look at that 15 number? Ms. Beck: — Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to the minister and the deputy minister and the officials with us again Hon. Mr. Wyant: — Well again the plan to return to school in this afternoon. It is a beautiful day outside, so I appreciate all the the fall is based on the guidelines that are provided to us by the time that it takes to prepare to come into committee and the chief medical health officer who has indicated, I think, that the self-discipline to come inside when it’s such a nice, nice day number of children in a classroom is not a health issue for him outside. given a decision that we have taken to return to school. And so as a scenario of reducing the number of children in classes, that Minister, I wanted to start by just noting Manitoba came out isn’t something that we’re contemplating. today with their plan for reopening which, in addition to the other provinces that I noted last night, has provided three scenarios and Again the response planning team continues to do their work. three options, including one with reduced class size for the fall. And as I mentioned yesterday, representatives from the STF I’m just wondering if you could provide any additional [Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation] and the SSBA information about the reasons why we don’t see an option for [Saskatchewan School Boards Association] and the ministry and reduced class sizes in the fall. LEADS [League of Educational Administrators, Directors and Superintendents] is doing that work. And so the scenario that we Hon. Mr. Wyant: — Well thank you for the question. I really expect to be following when the school returns in the fall was a don’t have anything to add to the answers that I provided full return to school with classrooms the way they were, having yesterday. Once we were into the pandemic and the decision was regard to the safety measures that have been indicated and set out made to close schools, the decision was made in consultation by the chief medical health officer. with our education partners to form the response planning team to deal with the challenges that came as a result of closing the Ms. Beck: — I guess it’s curious. I know that Dr. Shahab has schools. And I must say they did a remarkable job and I want to opportunity to meet with Dr. Tam and Dr. Henry and the other thank them and the leadership of the ministry in that effort. chief medical health officers. I’m just struggling with why, given essentially the same situation with different provinces, we have Once the decision was made that schools will be opening, that such a drastically different plan and guidelines in place in we announced a few weeks ago, the response planning team of Saskatchewan. course started doing their work on what that would look like. And certainly the guidelines that had been provided to us by the chief Hon. Mr. Wyant: — Well we have a tremendous amount of medical health officer are assisting them in providing for that confidence, and I think you do too, in the advice the chief medical work. So from our perspective that work . And I think it was health officer has provided the province of Saskatchewan since pretty clear last night and I’ll ask my deputy minister to again the beginning of the pandemic, and I have no reason to question confirm the conversations that have been had at that table, that the advice that he is giving us now. And that advice is that he school will resume in the fall and it will resume in as normal a expects school to return to full capacity in the fall, having regard situation as possible having regard to the fact that if things to the safety measures that need to be in place in order to ensure change there may well have to be some modifications as to how that children return to school safely. That’s not a scenario we’re children return to school. And that’s precisely the reason why the considering, although as I’ve said, I’ve asked Deputy Minister response planning team has been working on those various Currie to comment on a little bit of some of the conversations that scenarios. have been happening with the RPT [response planning team]. Ms. Beck: — Minister, I have a follow-up question. When this Mr. Currie: — Thanks, Minister. So with regards to the 1078 Human Services Committee June 25, 2020 responsibility and the response within Saskatchewan, we’ve staff and also some significant concern from parents. This cannot looked at it and approached it taking the guidance from the chief be a surprise that these questions exist. medical health officer, and then developed an education learning plan, in terms of students returning to school in the fall Hon. Mr. Wyant: — Well it’s certainly not a surprise. But again accordingly and following those guidelines. So in that way we the chief medical health officer of the province of Saskatchewan have structured this return-to-school plan with the understanding has provided the people of this province with excellent guidance that all students are returning to school. And adjustments will be over the last number of months since the beginning of the made, as has been referenced, based on local or individual needs pandemic. And again I am not inclined to second-guess the accordingly. advice that he has given us. That said, these are guidelines and we are looking to the response planning team which has been And so with that planning that all students would be returning to providing and doing some excellent work, not just within the school, I think I also referenced that there is a need for period of time since school has closed, but as we move forward contingency planning for those situations that present themselves to ensure that there is a safe reopening of schools. differently than all students remaining in the classroom. And as a provincial education sector, we continue to take our cues when The guidelines are just that. And even since these guidelines were developing these plans based on what’s posted in Re-Open issued there’s been a number of things that have changed in terms Saskatchewan documentation where it talks about the primary of what’s reopened. We now have sports returning. We have and the secondary educational institution guidelines. children in playgrounds, in splash parks. We have children competing in sports. And so these things are all changing. And We understand and appreciate that from the work that the so to the extent that we want to ensure that children return safely, response planning team has realized is that school divisions, staff relying on the advice of the chief medical health officer and the members, senior admin leadership, as well as our business professionals within the educational partners that make up the officials, are working together to address the local contexts which response planning team, we have great confidence that children they face and to ensure that the learning opportunities are will be returning to school in a safe way.