The recent cuts at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) and the board’s choice to refocus on ‘educational programming,’ moving away from what it considers social programing such as the family programs, have left several Lakes District residents feeling frustrated with the college’s unwillingness take their concerns into account. Don’t get me wrong, the college has been making an effort to consult with community members by holding public consultation meetings. However, these consultations just don’t seem to go far enough in terms of actually listening to what community members have to say.
Consultants from Prince George came to Burns Lake last week to gather feedback for the college’s 2016-2020 strategic plan, but the current mood in Burns Lake regarding the recent changes at the college did not make for a great conversation starter.
“Our community has been involved in quite few of these types of meetings for over a year now, and so far our feedback hasn’t been taken seriously at all,” said one participant.
Another participant questioned the point of having consultations when decisions that greatly impact the community have already been made.
“For me, it’s like strategic planning after the fact - decisions get made, then we get consulted,” said Joan Ragsdale, member of the Lakes District Family Enhancement Society.
What also happened last week was that CNC president, Henry Reiser, questioned the accuracy of an impact study conducted in the Lakes District a few months ago. In November 2015, the Village of Burns Lake released an impact study prepared by Peak Solutions Consulting Inc. showing the far reaching consequences of the cuts. The study projected the loss of 70 direct jobs, a significant reduction in programming including a 75 per cent cut to enrolment, as well as a loss of $3.7 million in employment revenues within the community.
“The approach to which the data was looked at was not in my mind as accurate as it could have been,” Reiser told the Prince George Citizen.
The CNC board later released a statement to the Prince George Citizen refuting some of the findings in the report, saying the impact study counted programs that existed but weren’t annual course commitments.
“It should be noted that soft funded programs or one-time programs should not be counted as job losses, because they are not really reflective of stable ongoing employment realities,” said the CNC statement.
In response, Burns Lake Mayor Luke Strimbold said these positions should have been included in the study, considering they were consistently funded for over 10 years, some for over 25 years. Back in April 2015, the CNC board decided to transfer the family programs offered in the Lakes District to other community agencies. A decision on which agencies would take over the contracts was expected to be made by the end of January 2016. However, as of Feb. 1, no announcement had been made. It is no surprise that community leaders have been apprehensively waiting for this decision since these programs are regarded by local college employees and residents as one of the college’s most successful operations.
Some fear that once these programs are transferred to other agencies, some of the services might get cancelled. In fact, Strimbold said CNC has neglected to mention that several programs are not being renewed. This includes healthier babies brighter futures - a provincially recognized program in FASD education and prevention -, which is no longer funded.
“This will leave the families who rely on these programs without much needed support,” said Strimbold.