Sask. students, parents protest against potential cancellation of Hoopla
CBC
With the fate of Saskatchewan's high school provincial basketball championships hanging in the balance, students are calling on the government and teachers to get back to the bargaining table.
A group of students from Preeceville, about 275 kilometres east of Saskatoon, protested at the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation office in Saskatoon on Tuesday.
That followed protests held there, as well as at the provincial legislature in Regina, on Monday, in response to job action by the teachers' federation that began in mid-January.
The union announced Monday that teachers across the province will strike on Wednesday and withdraw from extracurricular activities on Thursday and Friday.
Hoopla — the biggest high school basketball tournament in the province — is scheduled to begin Thursday, but organizers said it will be cancelled if the government and teachers can't come to an agreement under which sanctions can be lifted.
Both the girls' and boys' teams from Preeceville qualified last weekend to advance to Hoopla — the first time the girls' team made it to the provincial championship since 1997.
"You should have seen everyone in our gym — so happy … just to make it to regionals," said Kacey Heski, a 15-year-old guard with the Preeceville Panthers who made the trip to Saskatoon along with her mom.
WATCH | Sask. students protest potential cancellation of basketball championships:
"This is 27 years since last time we've been [to Hoopla]. This is just Preeceville. We're just heartbroken, devastated," she said outside the STF office.
"This is not just impacting just us. This is impacting our community."
Angela Banda, the associate executive director for labour relations for the teachers' union, came out to talk with the students and parents in Saskatoon on Tuesday.
She told the students she was proud of them for standing up for what they believe in, and she encouraged them to also put pressure on their MLAs.
Banda said teachers recognize that not only basketball players, but also students involved in drama, band and other extracurricular activities, are missing out on opportunities.
"No one wants students to have a lesser education," Banda told the group.
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