On the heels of a funding announcement to build a new school in Parry Sound, Education Minister Stephen Lecce and MNRF Minister and Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Graydon Smith visited a woodworking class at Huntsville High School on Monday, June 19, 2023.
Lecce spoke of the importance of embracing entrepreneurialism and the skilled trades in schools, skills which he said were a pathway to good jobs. He said the province has expanded by 40 per cent the Specialist High Skills Major program in high schools that allow for hands-on learning. “And we’re going to keep going, particularly in communities like this where we have massive shortages of labour and Graydon’s… strategy, one that he’s really encouraged us to focus on, is yes expand opportunities in the schools but with a strategy to keep those young people in the communities they were raised and that’s a critical way we can really maintain the viability of these communities,” said Lecce while also encouraging a host of other career paths.
Questions from the media turned to a recent severe bullying and violent incident at HHS. Three individuals are facing charges.
Lecce referred to the incident as tragic, unacceptable, and disturbing. He said his first instinct is to unite behind the family and the victim. Lecce also noted that unfortunately “we’ve seen a rise in bullying across society and in our schools. It is disturbing, it’s sad and I recognize that in this particular instance, there is a police investigation, we’ll let that take course,” he said, adding that the provincial government’s job is to make sure that the conditions and curriculum in schools elevate the message of inclusivity and respect. “We don’t see differences within each other, we just celebrate our own individual dignity as Canadians because we live in a country where… that freedom is our heritage.”
Lecce said the province is working with all partners in education, law enforcement, the community, parents, and students themselves to make sure schools are safe. He noted the province had just announced a significant investment to counter violence “particularly from the lens of anti-bullying… to work with educators so that they can be effective ambassadors of the cause in every classroom in Ontario. So we’re leveraging every expertise we can to change the culture of schools and I appreciate the work of our staff, of the educators, the administrators, and the parents. We’re all trying to do our part and I know this is a very difficult time and I know sometimes we can see this darkness but there’s a lot of light in this darkness too. There’s a lot of good work being done…”
Lecce and Smith took further questions from media members. Below are some of the issues covered:
Mental Health supports for students: Lecce said the rise in mental health-related issues is a serious concern for the provincial government. He said funding for mental health support for students has increased by 550 per cent singularly because demand has risen pre and, especially, post-pandemic. He said the province has allocated $12M towards mental health this year, $14M next year, and $16M thereafter. “So we’re continuously increasing our support. In this community we’ve massively increased funding for all the northern school boards for mental health—having more psychologists, psychotherapists, social workers, child youth workers—anything we can do to reduce barriers to get these kids access to health and support is really critical. And I see the connection between mental health and academic achievement. We want kids graduating, we want them to be ambitiously bold. We want them to really aspire to be successful Canadians and that starts with being healthy in body and mind.”
He said Ontario will be a national leader in mandating mental health literacy in the curriculum for Grades 7, 8, and 10 and developing life skills on how to manage stress. The province will also be annualizing access to mental health funding starting this summer. Lecce said typically if a student had mental health support in school, the support would stop at the end of the school year. “So then in July and August, the parents would have to pivot for support. It [the system] wasn’t built for the child. It was built for bureaucracies and that’s for me just unacceptable. So we’ve now provided 12 months of funding so school boards can still provide year-round service for those that need it the most.”
In terms of Pride celebrations, Lecce said he was glad to see that the Pride flags were up at the school. He said every child must feel safe in school regardless of faith, heritage, the colour of skin, place of birth, or gender orientation. “In a publicly funded school it is my clear expectation that every student sees themself reflected in their schools and that’s a pretty basic expectation,” said Lecce who referred to diversity in schools as a human rights issue. He said the right to love who you love is a basic fundamental Canadian principle, “I’d like to believe we all support it.”
Smith reminded those present that there were wonderful things happening at the schools in the riding. “I think there’s a real opportunity for us to help celebrate that and make sure that people hear those success stories and that not only resonates through the community but it resonates from student to student. They want to be proud of their school. They want to be proud of their peers,” he said, adding that he wants to be a conduit not only for finding solutions to the challenges that exist but celebrating the successes that happen.
Lecce said his government will continue to expand the value of skilled trades. He said he was pleased to see a significant number of young female students in those programs at HHS. “They’re doing something right here and so we should reflect on that as a positive. We want to emulate that across Ontario. Next September… every student is going to take a technological education course, but you’re ahead of the curve in many respects so it gives me a sense of hope that we’re going to increase the labour potential in the province and really create pathways for every child to a good job and that’s a really positive outcome.”
Smith also reiterated that a career in the skilled trades is a great way to keep young people who want to stay here in the community.
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