Minister silent on next step in battle with education council
CBC
New Brunswick's education minister is staying silent for now about his next move in an increasingly acrimonious dispute with one of the province's school districts.
The Anglophone East district is challenging Bill Hogan in court, a legal battle that Hogan claims it doesn't have the authority to wage.
This week, Hogan vowed to take "further action" against the district, which he said in a letter on Monday is spending money on the court case "improperly and without the legal authority to do so."
Harry Doyle, the district education council chair, responded that Hogan has "no authority" to interfere with the district's decision to sue.
"The DEC is mandated to protect the students in its care," Doyle wrote in an April 16 letter.
"The current litigation is to ensure that students are being cared for in a manner conforming to the Charter and provincial statutes."
Hogan's office said it could not arrange an interview with the minister Thursday or say what he may do next.
During a hearing on the case Wednesday, the district's lawyer Perri Ravon said Hogan's correspondence "indicates a determination not only to have Policy 713 applied as soon as possible, but a determination to prevent Anglophone East from challenging it in court."
Last year's changes to the policy require parents be notified if their children under 16 want to change the names or pronouns they use in school to reflect their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Anglophone East council says the requirement violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the provincial Human Rights Act and the Education Act, and is asking the court to block its implementation.
Last year, the council adopted a modified version of the provincial policy, which it says Hogan has threatened to "quash."
In an April 11 letter, Doyle also accused Hogan of threatening to go to court to dissolve the council if it did not fall in line.
The case that was back in court this week includes an application for an injunction to block Hogan from doing that.
Court of King's Bench Chief Justice Tracey DeWare set June 18-19 to hear arguments on that injunction application and the one that would block Hogan from quashing its version of the policy.
When Stephanie Gamble watched her mother model the first dress she made, smiling wide and walking an imaginary runway, she knew that was what she wanted to keep doing in her life.
'Tis the season for cuddling on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and watching holiday movies. And for people in B.C.'s Interior, that can increasingly mean seeing their home communities on display.
Every year, snowy owls spread their wings and migrate down to the Prairies, where they enjoy access to plenty of rodent prey in vast open spaces.
This month has been a busy stretch at the Upper Room Food Bank in Charlottetown.
N.W.T. Education Minister Caitlin Cleveland says she has received the final report from an independent investigation into education bodies in the Dehcho region.
P.E.I.’s auditor general says he’s concerned and disappointed that the projected deficit has doubled what government initially estimated it would be — and he's urging the province to balance its budget.
A man found not criminally responsible for stabbing five people to death at a Calgary house party is getting more freedoms but not an absolute discharge.
A man has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting death of a Toronto mother outside a supervised consumption site in Leslieville.
Russian olive trees — sometimes known as silver berry or oleaster — are small, ornamental plants with silvery leaves and black bark, and small yellow flowers and silver fruit that look like miniature olives. They’re pretty, but they’re a problem.
The Yukon Legislative Assembly’s fall sitting ended on Thursday after the territorial government introduced and passed a supplementary budget.
A Canadian military counter-intelligence operative, who stands accused of passing sensitive information to Ukraine, was involved in an investigation into allegations that a leading Canadian defence journalist was a longtime Russian asset.
An Alberta panel aimed at finding ways the province can strengthen its autonomy has offered up seven recommendations, including options for referendum topics.
People won't be able to travel along B.C.'s Highway 3 without significant delays and detours over the holiday season, says the Ministry of Transportation.