11,000 Six Nations students out of school due to federal strike
A strike by federal workers means students in Six Nations of the Grand River are out of school for the third straight day.
Five federal schools in the community have been closed since Wednesday following strike action by members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
The impacted schools include Jamieson, J.C Hill, Emily C General, I.L, and Oliver M Smith Elementary Schools, and students from Kindergarten to Grade 8.
Six Nations of the Grand River elected council reports 11,000 children are impacted.
As of Friday, the schools don’t have a reopening date.
Indigenous Services Canada told CTV News in a statement, “Officials will continue working with First Nation leadership and families to ensure students are provided with opportunities to continue their learning during the labour disruption.”
Earlier in the week, Six Nations Elected Chief Mark Hill said in a statement, in-part: “The PSAC strike has impacted our Six Nations Of The Grand River community and has the SNGR elected council concerned for all of our members, students and families.”
Chief Hill had a press conference schedule for Friday afternoon, where he was to address the public about the strike but that was cancelled.
PARENTS REACT
Many parents in the community were left to make last minute child care plans.
For Olivia Forman’s family, that means relying on older siblings to watch younger siblings.
“It kind of sucks for them, because suddenly all their plans are just cancelled,” Forman told CTV News.
Robyn Joseph said she’s luckily she was already off work but her and her four kids are trying to find ways to fill their days.
“They’re home all day now and they’re fighting over the video games and so we’re going for a walk,” Joseph said. ““We had no school during COVID and these poor kids they have no internet down here, well it works sporadically – but all their friends, all my kids are behind, like so behind.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.