Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation wants bigger school to accommodate growing population

Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation in northwestern Alberta wants a new school built to address a mould problem and accommodate their growing student population. 

Sheldon Sunshine, chief of the community about 360 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, said 153 students go to the K-12 Sturgeon Lake school, and 300 more students bus to public schools in nearby Valleyview, Alta.

Sunshine said his community is growing and a significant portion of the population are school-age children.

"Trying to accommodate our kids in our school … we just can't do it right now," he said. 

He said there is a wait list for kindergarten classes and they've had to reduce the number of school days for some of those classes, with some switching between a two-day school week and a three-day school week. 

"They're not getting that quality education full time, which they need," said Sunshine. 

Clarisse Brown's son Lawson started the school year in a split kindergarten class.

After two weeks, the school was able to make his class full time, but Brown she got a glimpse at how challenging the school year could have been for her family. 

"Even the first couple of weeks … I had seen a change in him, he was getting to sing in Cree and he was doing all these things, and then we had to go back to [daycare]."

A school feasibility study completed in 2016 said the school was originally built in 1990 and was intended for elementary grades. Later, nine modular classrooms were brought in to accommodate junior high and high school students who wanted to attend school in their community. 

"Over the years, all nine modular classrooms have been condemned and removed due to air quality tests that confirmed toxic levels of mould," the study said.

The loss of those classrooms, the study said, puts pressure on the small school. According to the study, "every inch of the reception, hallway, gym, library and some change room spaces has already been repurposed as classroom teaching spaces."

The study offered two options: modernize the current building, which includes addressing issues with crawl space flooding, mould contamination, and issues with the HVAC system. for about $35 million or build a new, larger school at a cost of close to $38 million. 

'Band-Aid solution'

Sunshine said the best option for his community is to build a new, larger school but he worries the cost has likely risen. 

"With the increase in everything, the cost of living, the cost of supplies, the cost of steel, when the design was done for the school, the cost was around $38 million, and now today's pricing we're probably looking at double," said Sunshine. 

A letter sent to Sunshine Aug. 29 from Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) Minister Patty Hajdu says the government is committed to helping the community. 

"I recognize the devastating impacts that the 2023 wildfire season had on your nation and assure you that Indigenous Services Canada is committed to supporting your community's recovery efforts, with future safety and resiliency in mind," Hajdu wrote.

The minister writes that in 2016 ISC "provided over $4.4 million in renovations and enhancements to your current facility."  

Sunshine said the funding provided doesn't get to the heart of the problem — the lack of space. 

"They provided the Band-Aid solution to do the repairs ... but it really doesn't increase the capacity to fulfil our needs," he said. 

Culturally sensitive education 

According to the feasibility study, the drop-out rate for Sturgeon Lake Cree Nation students attending school in Valleyview is 46 per cent. The report said those students who are dropping out lack culturally sensitive education and often experience bullying at school. 

Sunshine said that having a bigger school will bring some of those students back to the community and allow for dedicated spaces for Cree language courses, and land-based teaching. 

Brown said she attended Sturgeon Lake school for her elementary grades and she decided to send her son to the Sturgeon Lake school because she wants to make sure he learns about his culture and language.

"I remember growing up we'd have Cree classes, we would learn traditional stories, and I want that same thing for my son, because I want that to carry on," said Brown.

On a recent trip to Ottawa, Sunshine hoped to meet with Hajdu to discuss his community's concerns but was disappointed his request couldn't be met.

Indigenous Services Canada did not provide comment before time of publishing.