Latest news with #EMSB
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Her autistic son gets help from school support staff. Quebec's budget cuts could take it away
When Karine Desruisseaux's son was diagnosed with autism and ADHD earlier this year, she said his school's support staff was crucial in giving him the help he needed to thrive. "She takes care of the whole school when kids have issues they need to walk through," Desruisseaux said of the educational specialist who's been helping her seven-year-old son, Ben. Now, she worries the province's cuts to education could take that away. Two weeks before the end of the school year, at a time when school boards and school service centres are normally finalizing their budgets, administrators were told by the Education Ministry to reduce their spending by $570 million. While most administrators said it was too soon to give a breakdown of where and how the cuts would be applied, they warned of devastating consequences and said parents are right to be worried. Last year, the English Montreal (EMSB) and Lester B. Pearson (LBPSB) school boards, who together serve around 60,000 students on the island of Montreal, adopted balanced budgets of $438 million and $402 million, respectively. WATCH l Parents fear cuts to education will impact most vulnerable kids: Under the new government directive, the EMSB and the LBPSB are each expected to slash about $30 to $32 million from their annual budgets, according to Joe Ortona, president of the Quebec English School Boards Association. "That is an enormous amount," said LBPSB chairperson Judy Kelley. "The way that we're being asked to cut is really beyond anything that we've ever imagined the government would ask us to do." 'We just don't have that money,' school board says Kelley explained that school boards usually have to invest more than what the government earmarks for support services for students with special needs. "So that is where we would have to say, 'look, we just don't have that money, we don't have that discretionary spending,'" she said. In an email to CBC, the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM), the largest service centre in the province, said it was still in discussions with the government but that it would respect its 2025-26 workforce plan, which confirms regular positions for the coming year. "However, until further notice, positions left vacant following their posting will remain unfilled, absences will not be replaced, and project positions will be terminated," the email reads in French. Meanwhile, the Fédération des employées et employés de services publics (FEESP–CSN), which is made up of 37 unions representing around 35,000 support workers, painted a dire picture for the upcoming school year. The FEESP-CSN said that before the cuts were announced, the EMSB, for example, would have seen a net increase in the number of attendants for students with disabilities and special education technicians (TES). Now, it says the staffing plan calls for the elimination of 15 attendant positions against the creation of one new position, and the elimination of 16 TES positions against the creation of six. Cuts to support staff will impact all students According to Desruisseaux, any cuts to these services in terms of hours or positions not being filled would have ripple effects and impact everyone. For Ben, who has been learning to read by spending one-on-one time with a special aide and whose educational specialist has helped him regulate when overstimulated, it would mean potentially falling behind in his learnings and being more distracted and disruptive in the classroom. "Even if your child doesn't have special needs, the teacher needs those specialists to be able to do their job in class," Desruisseaux said. "And if you're thinking, 'well, I don't have any kids, I don't care.' Well, those kids will take care of you in the future." Danielle Desrosiers, another parent, is concerned about her daughter Carly. At age 10, she was diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder and now, at 23, attends the Wagar Adult Education Centre, part of the EMSB. Her hope for Carly is that she will be able to find long-term employment and not have to rely on social assistance for the rest of her life. Desrosiers reiterated the same fears expressed by Desruisseaux and worried how a lack of funding often impedes vulnerable students from becoming contributors to society. For her part, Kelley said under the current scenario, the cuts could also affect sports programs, extracurriculars, enrichment programs and other programs aimed at keeping kids in school. "You have students who don't necessarily have academic concerns, but they may have engagement concerns," Kelley said. If those programs are cut, "then where are they left?" Calls growing for government to backtrack The office of Quebec's Education Ministry did not respond to CBC's request for comment but the minister has remained steadfast in his demand for school boards to meet their budgets. Still, some hope there's time to change the province's mind. A petition launched at the National Assembly is calling for the province to cancel the cuts. Meanwhile, two unions representing school support staff have filed a joint complaint with the Quebec ombudsman. In a news release, the unions state that cuts to the education system over the last year "have caused a major disruption in the system's ability to meet its legal obligations to students." As for parents, they say they will continue to plan protests and make noise on this issue so that students don't lose the services they need.
CBC
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Her autistic son gets help from school support staff. Quebec's budget cuts could take it away
Social Sharing When Karine Desruisseaux's son was diagnosed with autism and ADHD earlier this year, she said his school's support staff was crucial in giving him the help he needed to thrive. "She takes care of the whole school when kids have issues they need to walk through," Desruisseaux said of the educational specialist who's been helping her seven-year-old son, Ben. Now, she worries the province's cuts to education could take that away. Two weeks before the end of the school year, at a time when school boards and school service centres are normally finalizing their budgets, administrators were told by the Education Ministry to reduce their spending by $570 million. While most administrators said it was too soon to give a breakdown of where and how the cuts would be applied, they warned of devastating consequences and said parents are right to be worried. Last year, the English Montreal (EMSB) and Lester B. Pearson (LBPSB) school boards, who together serve around 60,000 students on the island of Montreal, adopted balanced budgets of $438 million and $402 million, respectively. WATCH l Parents fear cuts to education will impact most vulnerable kids: Quebec parents fear budget cuts will hit special needs students hardest 7 minutes ago Duration 2:20 Parents of children with disabilities are sounding the alarm as Quebec trims $570 million from its education budget. They fear cuts to specialists and support staff will deeply impact vulnerable students. Under the new government directive, the EMSB and the LBPSB are each expected to slash about $30 to $32 million from their annual budgets, according to Joe Ortona, president of the Quebec English School Boards Association. "That is an enormous amount," said LBPSB chairperson Judy Kelley. "The way that we're being asked to cut is really beyond anything that we've ever imagined the government would ask us to do." 'We just don't have that money,' school board says Kelley explained that school boards usually have to invest more than what the government earmarks for support services for students with special needs. "So that is where we would have to say, 'look, we just don't have that money, we don't have that discretionary spending,'" she said. In an email to CBC, the Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM), the largest service centre in the province, said it was still in discussions with the government but that it would respect its 2025-26 workforce plan, which confirms regular positions for the coming year. "However, until further notice, positions left vacant following their posting will remain unfilled, absences will not be replaced, and project positions will be terminated," the email reads in French. Meanwhile, the Fédération des employées et employés de services publics (FEESP–CSN), which is made up of 37 unions representing around 35,000 support workers, painted a dire picture for the upcoming school year. The FEESP-CSN said that before the cuts were announced, the EMSB, for example, would have seen a net increase in the number of attendants for students with disabilities and special education technicians (TES). Now, it says the staffing plan calls for the elimination of 15 attendant positions against the creation of one new position, and the elimination of 16 TES positions against the creation of six. Cuts to support staff will impact all students According to Desruisseaux, any cuts to these services in terms of hours or positions not being filled would have ripple effects and impact everyone. For Ben, who has been learning to read by spending one-on-one time with a special aide and whose educational specialist has helped him regulate when overstimulated, it would mean potentially falling behind in his learnings and being more distracted and disruptive in the classroom. "Even if your child doesn't have special needs, the teacher needs those specialists to be able to do their job in class," Desruisseaux said. "And if you're thinking, 'well, I don't have any kids, I don't care.' Well, those kids will take care of you in the future." Danielle Desrosiers, another parent, is concerned about her daughter Carly. At age 10, she was diagnosed with nonverbal learning disorder and now, at 23, attends the Wagar Adult Education Centre, part of the EMSB. Her hope for Carly is that she will be able to find long-term employment and not have to rely on social assistance for the rest of her life. Desrosiers reiterated the same fears expressed by Desruisseaux and worried how a lack of funding often impedes vulnerable students from becoming contributors to society. For her part, Kelley said under the current scenario, the cuts could also affect sports programs, extracurriculars, enrichment programs and other programs aimed at keeping kids in school. "You have students who don't necessarily have academic concerns, but they may have engagement concerns," Kelley said. If those programs are cut, "then where are they left?" Calls growing for government to backtrack The office of Quebec's Education Ministry did not respond to CBC's request for comment but the minister has remained steadfast in his demand for school boards to meet their budgets. Still, some hope there's time to change the province's mind. A petition launched at the National Assembly is calling for the province to cancel the cuts. Meanwhile, two unions representing school support staff have filed a joint complaint with the Quebec ombudsman. In a news release, the unions state that cuts to the education system over the last year "have caused a major disruption in the system's ability to meet its legal obligations to students."
Montreal Gazette
18-06-2025
- Business
- Montreal Gazette
EMSB chair says Quebec's $510 million in cuts to schools will ‘destroy a generation'
Quebec school officials are warning of looming service cuts for elementary and high school students after Education Minister Bernard Drainville abruptly ordered last-minute budget cuts last week. English school boards and French school service centres say they must cut at least $510 million from their budgets. 'Based on preliminary assessments, all services will be affected by the cuts, and it will be impossible to fully maintain all services for students,' Dominique Robert, head of the Fédération des centres de services scolaires du Québec, told The Gazette. The FCSSQ represents French school service centres. The English Montreal School Board, Quebec's largest English board, echoed that view. For the EMSB, the cuts represent $20 million on an annual budget of $440 million, or 4.5 per cent, said EMSB chair Joe Ortona, who is also president of the Quebec English School Boards Association. 'Over 90 per cent of our budget goes to direct services and salaries,' he said in an interview. 'Even if we abolished every job in the head office, turned off the heating and electricity in all our schools, we wouldn't reach $20 million.' What the Coalition Avenir Québec government is asking for is 'impossible,' he said. 'They're essentially telling us to close schools, cut teachers, cut staff, have overcrowded classrooms, and just put the entire education system in disarray. It's indecent.' Drainville has a track record of dropping surprise funding cuts. Earlier this year, school boards and service centres were told to slash $200 million, Ortona said. He added: 'They are asking us to destroy a generation because they destroyed Quebec's finances.' In his 2025-26 budget, Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard forecast a historic deficit of $13.6 billion. Ortona said the education cuts are an austerity measure fuelled by the fact that 'they're broke, and they don't know where to get money anymore.' 'They have to pay for their incompetence and their scandals — SAAQclic and everywhere else where they mismanaged money,' he said. SAAQclic is the glitch-plagued digital modernization of Quebec's auto insurance board that came in about $500 million over budget. A public inquiry is investigating what many have described as a fiasco. Robert of the FCSSQ said schools have limited budget flexibility. 'By mid-June, planning for the upcoming school year is already complete. Staffing plans have been adopted and school organization is nearly finalized.' Eighty per cent of a school service centre's budget is devoted to staff salaries, with the rest going to expenses such as electricity. 'School service centres have a legal obligation to educate, socialize and qualify all students in their territory,' Robert added. 'Unlike the health network, CEGEPs and universities, it is not possible to place students on a waiting list or cap admissions.' He acknowledged that Quebec's 'budgetary challenge is significant' and said the school network will work with the province to 'ensure that students receive a quality education.' The FCSSQ said the $510 million is only an estimate — the actual total could be even higher. The organization is working on a 'thorough and rigorous analysis' of the new budget guidelines that will be made public later this week. Drainville's office defended the budget plan, saying it marks a slowdown in spending growth, not cuts. The education budget has grown by 58 per cent since the CAQ took power in 2018, reaching $23.5 billion, said Antoine de la Durantaye, a spokesperson for the minister. 'The number of teachers and support staff has grown two to three times faster than student enrolment,' he said. 'We can't continue at this pace indefinitely — we must set targets.' Quebec says this year's education budget grew by $1.1 billion compared to last year, and staffing levels are expected to rise by two per cent to 152,500 full-time equivalents. 'This is not about cuts, but about a slower rate of budget growth,' de la Durantaye said. While acknowledging the transition may require tough choices, he said the minister is confident school officials will preserve direct services to students. Ortona described Drainville's characterization of the budget measures as 'misinformation.' 'It's a cut. They used to give us a full pie. Now they're giving us half. How is that not less of a pie?' Québec solidaire education critic Sol Zanetti also criticized the decision, estimating the cuts could amount to almost $1 billion. 'Forcing schools to cancel hiring by cutting nearly a billion dollars from education is completely absurd, especially amid a teacher and staff shortage,' Zanetti said. 'This has become a regrettable habit of the CAQ: announcing cuts when the National Assembly is closed (for the summer), to throw the system into chaos without having to answer to the public.' He said Premier François Legault's government has 'squandered Quebecers' tax dollars on failures like SAAQclic and Northvolt, and now they're asking the education system to pay the price.' Northvolt refers to an electric vehicle battery plant. The Legault government has confirmed that the $270 million it invested in Northvolt's Swedish parent company is now worthless. Zanetti said the education cuts will have an 'enormous social cost: fewer services for students, more dropouts, more inequality. The CAQ is creating an education crisis that will cost far more in the long run.' This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 1:14 PM.
New Straits Times
10-06-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Niche Capital Emas unit signs JV with EMSB for gold exploration at KK hill in Kelantan
KUALA LUMPUR: Niche Capital Emas Holdings Bhd's wholly owned subsidiary, Niche Capital Mining (Sejana) Sdn Bhd (NCMSSB), has entered into a joint venture agreement with Enrich Mining Sdn Bhd (EMSB) to develop, operate and exploit the "KK Hill" area, which spans 97.12 hectares in Jeli, Kelantan. This follows the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed with EMSB, which grants exclusive rights to undertake gold exploration works over a 3,255 hectare area in Kelantan known as Sejana Project. "EMSB agrees to grant NCMSSB the exclusive rights for five years upon fulfilment of the conditions precedent, or for any other period mutually agreed by both parties, whichever is later. "NCMSSB shall pay to EMSB a tribute of eight per cent of the gold produced, within 30 days from the payment of royalty to the State Authority under the Mineral Enactment," it said in a filing with Bursa Malaysia today. The group stated that, according to RSC Consulting Ltd's report dated July 19, 2024, and prepared in accordance with the JORC Code (2012), the estimated in-situ mineral resources amount to approximately 7.64 million tonnes of ore, with an average gold grade of 0.69 grams per tonne, containing about 169,300 ounces of gold. "This JORC-compliant mineral resources will significantly enhance the group's mining business prospects," it said. – BERNAMA
CTV News
06-06-2025
- CTV News
STM strike: What you need to know to get around Montreal
Société de transport de Montréal (STM) maintenance workers are expected to strike from June 9 to 17, potentially affecting traffic across the island. The STM said school routes and shuttle buses for planned outings should operate as usual. Between June 9 and 11, buses will only run during peak hours: from 6:15 a.m. to 9:15 a.m., from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 11:15 p.m. to 1:15 a.m. There will be no bus service outside these hours. The Metro will only run from 6:30 a.m. to 9:38 a.m., between 2:45 p.m. and 5:48 p.m., and from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. on those days. On June 12, 16 and July 1, the STM says it will operate at 50 per cent capacity. Metro service will run at half the usual frequency, and roughly half of all bus trips will be cancelled. There should be regular service between June 13 and 15 to serve the public during the Grand Prix weekend, before strike hours come back into effect June 16 and 17. Student attendance 'essential' School boards and centres have stated that they will not make exceptions for exams on strike days. The English Montreal School Board (EMSB) sent a note to parents with the STM schedule, saying students must be there for all exams, and it is their responsibility to arrive on time. The Centre de services scolaire de Montréal said the same. 'Parents will be reminded of this important time of the school year for student success,' it said in a statement. 'This strike coincides with the exam period. Student attendance and adherence to the scheduled timetable remain essential. It will therefore be important to plan for alternative transport and allow more time than usual for the journey.' The president of the English Parents' Committee Association of Quebec, Katherine Korakakis, said parents are worried. She said that when it comes to exams, some of which are worth 50 per cent of final grades, students cannot show up late or retake their tests. Korakakis said parents are being left to mitigate the effects of the strike. 'Not everybody has a car, not everybody can leave work early or arrive late at work ... there's a lot at stake,' said Korakakis. She said she hopes the STM and its workers come to an agreement soon and put an end to the strike. Westmount High In a statement sent to parents and students, and reviewed by CTV News, Westmount High School stated that it aims to accommodate the strike schedule, adding that it will hold all final exams in the morning next week to ensure that students who rely on public transit can attend. The change will not apply to pre-scheduled science labs and French oral exams, which were scheduled by appointment. The school is encouraging students to arrive early to avoid missing assignments and to make alternative transportation arrangements with their parents if necessary. The library will remain open in the afternoon, as well as the gym. Teachers will be advising students on afternoon tutorials. 'We recognize that this situation may cause inconvenience and appreciate your continued support and cooperation in helping our students successfully complete their exams,' the school notes. With files from CTV News' Anastasia Dextrene.
