Construction starts on Cree bilingual school in Saskatoon

Construction has started on a new Cree bilingual school in Saskatoon. St Frances Cree Bilingual School, which has been operating in temporary spaces, will soon have a dedicated school building that will have the capacity to serve around 600 students from pre-kindergarten to grade 9 and include 70 childcare spaces. It will include a research room, a learning greenhouse, an elder’s teaching room, and a medicine lab, and will offer students meals from its nutrition kitchen. Students attending the school will be able to learn their culture and language and develop their identity in a safe and inclusive environment. Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand said that the school will be the largest Cree bilingual school in Canada, if not the world. “When we put this school up, we are going to see a change in people and the kids living a quality of life because their identity is found,” said Arcand. “It’s the gift of the child that we have to focus on and it’s the gift of the child that was taken away.” The school is supported by a $45.9M investment from the Government of Saskatchewan. Construction is estimated to be complete by Fall 2025.