County school board disappointed with cancellation of indigenous sessions
Simcoe County District School Board trustee and vice-chairperson Jodi Lloyd says it was disappointing to see Indigenous curriculum writing sessions be cancelled by the provincial government, and worries it is a step in the wrong direction.
The sessions, set for early July, would’ve bolstered Indigenous education topics in Ontario’s school curriculum, but were cancelled last minute, reportedly due to a government ban on non-essential travel.
“These curriculum-writing sessions were very, very important and in all likelihood there were very little savings realized because most of the costs had already been incurred,” said Lloyd, adding people were notified of the cancellation the Friday before the sessions were set to start.
The SCDSB published a letter to Minister of Education Lisa Thompson outlining the importance of the sessions and a desire to see improvements to the Indigenous education curriculum continue.
“The cancellation of these specific writing sessions sends a negative message to the education system, the Indigenous community (including students), as well as the greater public,” the letter sent on behalf of the board reads. “In our opinion, it infers that there is a limited value placed on the curriculum revisions.”
Lloyd said the writing sessions would’ve provided further opportunity to improve on calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada for reconciliation-focused education.
Indigenous education topics such as residential schools, treaties, and aboriginal people’s historic and contemporary contributions to Canada are already taught at the SCDSB, but the writing sessions could’ve further established the topics across the province, Lloyd said.
“We’re a very inclusive board and we are a leader in indigenous education in this province so we felt it was important for our board to speak out and express our disappointment,” she said.
According to a spokesperson for the minister of education, the TRC curriculum revisions will continue to move ahead with the help of experts, elders and indigenous communities in the “most cost-effective way possible.”
Still, Lloyd worries the cancellation sends the wrong message and was a step in the wrong direction, adding there has been no communication about a rescheduling.
To read the full letter from the board, visit
— With files from Torstar News Service