Sask. high school worries band trip to NYC will be cancelled amid teacher job action
High school students in North Battleford are worried their trip to New York City could get cancelled, as teachers continue to withdraw from extracurricular activities.
North Battleford Comprehensive High School Concert Band is scheduled to leave for New York City on March 14.
The students are set to tour the city and perform at various venues during the five-day trip.
Dominique Mannix's 15-year-old daughter is one of the 29 students booked on the trip.
"Hopefully it's going to go ahead, but we're also being a little bit realistic and realizing that there's a good chance that they may not be able to go next week," Mannix said.
"They're disappointed, they're worried. They obviously have planned and worked really hard on being able to go on this trip and they're super excited to go."
Mannix said some of the students' fundraising efforts have been cancelled as a result of teacher job action.
"We don't want to be taking these actions, but unfortunately, we have no other choice," Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) President Samantha Becotte told CTV News.
Saskatchewan Education Minister Jeremy Cockrill disagreed.
"The job sanctions that the STF chooses to make, that's the STF's decision on what, where and when those jobs sanctions are," Cockrill said.
"I would urge the STF leadership to spend less time pulling extracurricular and spend more time at the bargaining table."
The STF said the government has refused to include language around class sizes and support for kids with complex needs in teacher contracts.
"Government to this point in time has not provided their bargaining team with the authority to engage in conversations. It has only been 'take it' or 'leave it' offers — and that isn't true, good faith negotiations," Becotte said.
Mannix is hopeful a deal can be reached before the trip.
"Some of these kids, especially the ones in grade 12, they probably won't get another opportunity to go," Mannix said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Here's where Canadians are living abroad: report
A recent report sheds light on Canadians living abroad--estimated at around four million people in 2016—and the public policies that impact them.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.