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Morinville News

Candidates address Morinville school issue at forum

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Monday night’s All Candidates Forum delivered MLA hopefuls with a wide-variety of questions, some of interest to all Albertans, others of particular interest to Morinville and area residents. One of the written questions submitted dealt with the issue of public versus Catholic education in Morinville… […]

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Editorial & Opinion

Editorial: So here we are – now what?

“I’m sorry; Johnny cannot come out to play with you because your mom took away his school.”

Although not exactly the verbiage used, it is not far off what we are hearing and feeling in the streets of Morinville post town hall meeting with Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk Mar. 15… […]

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Editorial & Opinion

Letter: Small town secular education

Editor:

I was surprised and excited to learn of the recent changes that could be made to the legislative act to bring true public, secular education to our tiny community of Legal. The common thinking has been that our town was too small to support it, which was obviously mostly an excuse but one that we’d heard… […]

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Local News

Education matters to be resolved by new bill

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Legislation related to the future of non-faith-based education in Morinville passed first reading Wednesday, putting weeks of speculation to rest on just what three area school boards came up with to resolve the matter. Education Minister Thomas Lukaszuk introduced The St. Albert and Sturgeon Valley School Districts establishments act in the Legislature Wednesday afternoon… […]

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Local News

Morinville parents take schooling complaints to human rights commission

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Displeased with what they see as buck passing from the provincial government, three Morinville and two former Morinville residents have filed complaints against Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division No. 29 (GSACRD) with the Alberta Human Rights Commission, a quasi-judicial body that hears complaints of discrimination.
Morinville resident Marjorie Kirsop and former Morinville resident Donna Hunter filed separate complaints in November under section 11.1 of the Alberta Human Rights Act, and Hunter filed a separate Section 4 complaint in December. Three other parents also filed Section 4 complaints with the Alberta Human Rights Commission in November and December… […]

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Local News

Morinville secular education issue hits Legislature once again

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Morinville – The Public Vs. Catholic education issue hit the Legislature floor Tuesday once again. Calgary Buffalo Liberal MLA Kent Hehr, who championed the cause of Morinville parents some months back, took on newly-minted Minister of Education Thomas Lukaszuk over the issue, particularly what the Liberal MLA sees as inequity on the school issue in light of Lukaszuk’s comments on the importance of equity in education to an Alberta School Board’s meeting… […]

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Local News

Local parents to receive civil liberties award

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – A group of Morinville parents are off to Calgary Nov. 29 to receive a civil liberties award from the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre. The award will be presented at the University of Calgary to Donna Hunter and other parents who fought for a non-faith-based education for their children in Morinville… […]

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Local News

Back to square one, secular parents say

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Promises of a non-faith-based school in Morinville this fall have fallen apart, parents choosing the option were told Monday afternoon. Sturgeon school Division (SSD), who were selected by Greater St. Albert Catholic School Regional (GSCRD) to offer the program in Morinville, met with parents Monday afternoon to tell them plans had hit a snag… […]

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Editorial & Opinion

Editorial: Survey results first step in community moving forward

Strutting across the stage like a chicken on ecstasy, Mick Jagger once sang about how we are not always able to get what we want, but how if we tried hard and persevered, we might get what we needed. Of course the preceding is nowhere close to actual song lyrics, but it does keep us from a run in with copyright folks… […]

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Local News

Reader suggests name for new Morinville school

Dear Editor:

June 2, 2011 marked a new chapter in the History of Morinville. Public education free of faith-based bias and permeation will be available to the public at large for the first time within the town in September.

I do not know if one can “name” a school consisting of modular classrooms, but I would like to put forward… […]

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Local News

Morinville parent delivers cookies to Dave Hancock

By Stephen Dafoe

Edmonton – Morinville parent Thomas Kirsop arrived at the Alberta Legislature Thursday morning with enough cookies to feed plenty of politicians and government employees as well. But the delivery of biscuits and cookies wasn’t intended as a coffee break snack, it was a symbolic gesture to advise Education Minister Dave Hancock that – in Kirsop’s opinion – he is not doing his job with respect to the secular education issue in Morinville… […]

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Local News

GSACRD releases survey on non-faith-based education

By MorinvilleNews.com Staff

Morinville – The Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division (GSACRD) announced Thursday afternoon it had begun the research to determine interest in a non-faith based education in Morinville.

In response to a request for a secular school option from a number of local parents, and after discussions with Minister of Education Dave Hancock, the public Catholic school board entered into an agreement with Pivotal research Inc. to conduct… […]

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Editorial & Opinion

Letter: Open letter to Minister of Education

Mr. Hancock:

I received this public notice in the Morinville Free Press today for the GSACRD contracted Pivotal Survey. I attached it to this email. I am upset, but not surprised. I am one of the parents who attended the April 11th meeting with GSACRD concerning the Morinville census, now downsized to a survey, and wanted to be a part of the discussion with an agreed upon, impartial count of residents. We, the parents who attended, were… […]

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Local News

Catholic public school motion defeated by council

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – The Catholic public school debate came before Morinville Town Council again Tuesday night, this time in the form of a motion from Councillor Lisa Holmes. Although a topic of discussion in the streets of Morinville for several months, the matter first came before council two weeks ago when Donna Hunter, spokesperson for the group of local parents seeking a secular education for their children in Morinville’s public schools, made her case to council. Council’s reaction at that time was one of silence. Neither comment nor question was made to the delegation… […]

Local News

Parent delegation takes case to Morinville council

By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – A delegation of Morinville parents requesting the Greater St. Albert Catholic Regional Division (GSACRD) to follow the general provincial curriculum in Morinville schools rather than the Catholic separate curriculum brought their case to Morinville Town Council Tuesday night. The delegation, led by group spokesperson Donna Hunter, presented their case in an eight-minute address to Mayor and council, outlining not only their concerns as parents but what they feel should be the concerns of council…. […]