School officials preparing for Jasper students to return to school in mid-September
CBC
Dozens of people are working to make sure Jasper students will be able to have a school year that is as normal as possible.
While school won't start until Sept. 17, the school calendar for the upcoming year in Jasper is expected to stay relatively the same as was planned before the wildfire, according to the Grande Yellowhead Public School Division.
Work continues following the aftermath of July's wildfire with crews working to clean smoke, ash, and dust from Jasper Elementary School, Jasper Junior and Senior High School and Ecole Desrochers.
The school board said in a note to families that the cleaning being conducted is beyond standard janitorial work and requires specialists. Some work includes replacing all ceiling tiles as they may be absorbing ash particles. All ventilation systems also require inspection and cleaning of exposed components to ensure air quality.
To expedite the clean-up process, the school board is working with the provincial government to hire contractors to assist.
Since it was safe to enter the buildings, there have been about 200 people each day working inside to get the schools ready to open.
An online information session was held for parents on Wednesday. Many questions from parents centred on logistics, safety and mental health supports.
"No one will be behind, because we are all starting, all of the Jasper students including our francophone colleagues, are going to be starting the curricular, subject and grade level or requirements on the exact same day," said Kelly Harding, an assistant superintendent with the school board.
"Because we don't want to cause any more anxiety or stress or concern for students who have already experienced so much chaos and distress this summer."
Since instructional hours at Jasper schools are normally higher than what is mandated by the province, officials said that there will not be a loss in progress for students.
Officials advised that it was not necessary for parents to enrol their child in a different school prior to Sept. 17.
Assistant superintendent Carra Aschenmeier reassured families that progress would not halted if returning to school in Jasper.
"We really encourage you to start on this 17th, rather than have your student in a really unknown environment in another division for eight days before we begin. But again, that is a family decision, and we leave that to you."
However due to the delayed start, students at École Jasper Elementary School will see their day start at 8:27 a.m. and end at 3:03 p.m. to meet requirements.
The family of an Edmonton woman who died in Honolulu last year is pushing for Hawaiian authorities to re-open the case.
It was around this time in 2020 that everything changed.
With its emergency shelter beds frequently running at 50 per cent over capacity and demand so great that it's forced to refer some women escaping domestic violence elsewhere, Gillian's Place in St. Catharines will soon be able to offer a broader range of services to more victims of gender-based violence.
The ceiling of the CAW Student Centre at the University of Windsor is decorated by flags of numerous nations — among them, Iran.
Turmoil in Iran, a major disruption in world oil markets, and stratospheric gasoline prices in Canada and beyond. What's racking motorists and governments in 2026 also faced them in 1979, sparked by the Iranian Revolution.
Five decades later, and Thunder Bay's Music World Academy remains a family-run business.
Dalton Dubois of Guelph, Ont., made history at the recent Paris Fashion Week when she became the first transgender model to walk the runway for Chanel Exclusive.
Work is scheduled to begin over the summer at the site of the former Clinton Creek asbestos mine, about 65 kilometres northwest of Dawson City, Yukon.
They may be bitter rivals in the House of Commons, but outside the chamber, recent events may have led to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Prime Minister Mark Carney forging a bond.
Local fans and industry insiders say the province’s move to ban the reselling of event tickets for more than their original value is a step in the right direction, but some say there are still larger issues that need to be addressed.
This First Person column is the experience of Mehdi M. Kashani, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
A very quiet queue has formed in Europe where some of Canada's long-standing, closest allies are seeking shelter under France's small but robust nuclear umbrella.
Friday morning's dusting of snow was no match for the large crowd visiting the Suleman Dawood Masjid in St. John’s for Eid-al-Fitr. A busy service marked the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month.