Innu schools near fully staffed, with teachers from around the world filling important roles
CBC
The staff room of the school in Natuashish will be full to start this school year, with a mix of people from all ages and parts of the world.
Teachers flew in last week from parts of Newfoundland and countries as far away as India to get acquainted, or reacquainted, with the community.
The school — run by the Innu school board in a remote part of northern Labrador — has done a good job recruiting and retaining talent, said Rena Penashue, Mamu Tshishkutamashutau Innu Education's human resources director.
"This year we are going in with pretty much a full slate," Penashue said. "We're still looking for some specialty positions, like phys ed."
The Innu Nation and Mamu Tshishkutamashutau Innu Education took over the education system in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish in 2009. Last year, the schools graduated a record 34 students, exceeding the total number of graduates over the 50 years the province and churches ran the education system.
Penashue is expecting another strong year in 2023-24. with 18 kids set to graduate if all goes well.
"We're pretty optimistic," she said. "We've got a very diverse school staff. I'm thinking we're going to have another rewarding school year."
The Sheshatshiu school is also well staffed to start this year, with only a couple of vacancies due to maternity leaves, Penashue said.
Diem Lam Vu, originally from Vietnam and living in Toronto, was one of the teachers looking forward to landing back in Natuashish for another school year.
"When I was recruited I thought I would just go for one year to learn about the First Nation's culture. I felt really privileged to be able to join the school," she said. "And then here I am, in my third year. It was the kids. It was the land. It was the people of Natuashish."
Lam Vu said her connection to the community took her by surprise, and helped her in ways she didn't expect.
"The land helped me to find my identity and heal me in a way that I didn't expect. As an Asian, I really embraced communal living. To me it's like a fish back to a pond."
Syeda Talath came to Newfoundland and Labrador five years ago to earn a master's degree at Memorial University. While in St. John's, she was presented with an opportunity to teach in Natuashish.
"I just grabbed it. I did not give a second thought about it," she said. "I still really enjoy it."
Premier Wab Kinew says Manitoba will hold a public inquiry as soon as 2026 into the former Progressive Conservative government’s post-election efforts to approve an environmental licence for sand-mining company Sio Silica.
Premier Scott Moe has led the Saskatchewan Party through two straight elections, winning majority governments each time.
Eight weeks after adding a GM BrightDrop van to the fleet of his plumbing and heating business, Marty Salliss has no complaints, only praise.
Nearly half of Alberta’s Grade 6 students failed the provincewide math test in 2024, three years after the province started rolling out its new elementary school curriculum.
Toronto could get new cars on the road whose drivers will never get frustrated by gridlock — because the cars would be driving themselves.
Amidst a cost-of-living crisis, some London-area organizations say they have noticed a decline in donations this holiday season.
Prominent northern leaders have been touting the Arctic economic and security corridor as a "nation-building" project that will bring economic benefits to the two territories it straddles, but others are split on how much good will come out of it.
When the federal government tabled its 2025 budget last month, it included a proposal that tax fraud experts say is long overdue — if also a belated acknowledgement that the Canada Revenue Agency has been repeatedly duped into paying out untold millions in bogus tax refunds to scammers.
Talking with an AI chatbot can successfully convince people to change their votes and could affect the outcome of future elections, according to a new study.
While some are writing wishlists for Santa Claus, a group of Newfoundland and Labrador youth are writing their wishlist for the provincial government.
A horse owner near Stewiacke, N.S., says the current shortage of hay in the province is putting pressure on her financially.
Victoria Volkanova was remembering Jewish resilience and courage by celebrating Hanukkah on Sunday.
Winnipeggers are still digging out from this past week’s winter wallop, but the wait for roadside assistance is almost over, according to the provincial motoring association.