Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand says a home in the city’s Montgomery Place neighbourhood is the best location for a proposed preschool, despite concerns from some residents.
The Saskatoon Tribal Council hopes to purchase a home on 11th Street West to expand an Aboriginal HeadStart preschool but first needs approval from city council.
Arcand says the facility would accommodate up to 32 children a day that would be bused from other communities in Saskatoon.
“We did our homework and our research,” he says. “The home meets all our needs.”
The Montgomery Place Community Association has sent a letter of opposition to the City of Saskatoon outlining concerns relating to “the preschool’s impact on the community.”
Arcand says there would be no functions at the home during evenings and as a result the preschool wouldn’t have a significant impact on the community.
“Classes would run from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the facility would only be open four days a week.”
The city has also received letters of opposition from Montgomery Place residents.
“I’m concerned with the negative comments,” Arcand says. “We should be working together to produce and enhance a quality environment for education.”
The HeadStart program is funded by the federal government and focuses on First Nations culture and traditions.
(PHOTO: Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand. Photo courtesy Saskatoon Tribal Council)