Sask. education minister responds to incident of student being lit on fire
Saskatchewan’s education minister says the incident at a Saskatoon school where a student was set on fire is "horrible," but could have been worse.
A 15-year-old girl was doused in a flammable substance and lit on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate on Thursday. She was airlifted to an Edmonton hospital and is suffering from serious injuries, according to police.
Sean Hayes, a teacher at Evan Hardy Collegiate who tried to put out the flames and help the student, was also injured.
The child’s classmate, a 14-year-old girl, has been charged with attempted murder.
Jeremy Cockrill, the province’s education minister, said he received a call about the incident on Thursday night.
"Really just a horrible incident. Nobody goes to school expecting that to happen. Certainly, relieved that nobody was hurt worse than they were," Cockrill told journalists in response to a question about the arson attack.
"As unfortunate as the situation is, and I know we've got people recovering from injuries, I can't help but think it could have been worse and so I'm glad it wasn't."
Monday marked the first time the education minister commented on the situation.
Cockrill said he takes classroom safety "very seriously."
"In terms of providing additional supports, we've provided significant additional funding to school divisions to hire more staff this year. I'm open to having a discussion around more school resource officers," Cockrill said.
Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck said she’s reached out to the victim’s family and is "hoping for the best possible outcome for those who’ve been injured."
"I don't know the particulars of the case, but I do know that kids in schools right across this province are going up without the supports that they need and that has very real consequences for those students," Beck said.
Classes at Evan Hardy Collegiate were cancelled on Friday and Monday and counselling services were provided to students and staff.
Donations for the student and teacher have been pouring in on GoFundMe. More than 1,294 donors have contributed to the two campaigns — both exceeding their financial goals.
Flowers and signs of support have been placed at the front of Evan Hardy Collegiate.
Class is set to resume on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prime minister faces mounting pressure to step aside from inside caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will face mounting pressure from his caucus this week to step down from the leadership of the Liberal party.
Suspect threw coffee at woman’s vehicle then shot at her windshield: police
Police are looking for a suspect who allegedly threw a coffee at a woman’s vehicle and then shot at her windshield following some sort of dispute that began at a Tim Hortons in Pickering on Friday morning.
Ex-principal of Ontario Christian school charged with sex assault
The former principal of a Christian school in Ontario's Niagara Region has been arrested and charged with sexual assault.
What's open and closed this Thanksgiving in Canada
Thanksgiving Day is a federal statutory holiday in Canada, and falls on Monday, Oct. 14 this year. Here's what to know about what is open this Monday.
Toronto mother acquitted in death of disabled daughter launches $10.5-million lawsuit against police, city
Cindy Ali, the Toronto mother who was acquitted in the 2011 death of her 16-year-old daughter Cynara after serving more than four years in prison, is suing Toronto police and the city for more than $10 million.
Police identify Toronto victim of alleged serial killer
Toronto police have identified the woman who was allegedly killed by a suspected serial killer earlier this month.
When Europe's railroad dining cars were the height of luxury
The Orient Express' opulent passenger experience was later immortalized in popular culture by authors like Graham Greene and Agatha Christie. But dining on the move was very much a triumph of logistics and engineering.
Longueuil woman charged after 10-year-old boy scalded with boiling water
A woman from Montreal's South Shore appeared in court on Friday on charges of aggravated assault after allegedly scalding a 10-year-old boy with boiling water more than one week ago.
Marital rape is still not outlawed in India. Changing that would be ‘excessively harsh,’ government argues
Criminalizing marital rape would be 'excessively harsh,' the Indian government has said, in a blow to campaigners ahead of a long-awaited Supreme Court decision that will affect hundreds of millions of people in India for generations.