Province to reimburse Brandon school division for evacuee costs

BRANDON — The Brandon School Division will receive financial support from the province to cover the cost of hosting wildfire evacuees in its schools, Education Minister Tracy Schmidt said Thursday.

“We encourage divisions to track… expenses and to be in touch with our department — many of them already have — and we will work with them to make sure that those expenses are covered,” Schmidt said.

In Brandon, 64 students from evacuated communities were enrolled in local schools on Thursday.

As a result, the division is paying for 8.5 additional substitute teachers, a bus driver and gas for a new route, and is buying extra equipment to take on the students, totalling a “rough estimate” of $100,000, the division said.

On Wednesday, the Brandon Sun heard the province wasn’t going to compensate the division. In an interview with Supt. Mathew Gustafson early Thursday afternoon, that was still the case.

Later in the afternoon, Schmidt told the Sun the province would compensate school divisions for the incurred costs of hosting wildfire evacuees, after being asked multiple times how the province will help.

“We, of course, are always appreciative,” Gustafson said in a second interview after the division learned it would receive funding.

BSD board vice-chairperson Duncan Ross called the province’s decision “fantastic.”

Ross said the division was initially told there might not be any funding coming from the province.

“No money was coming at all, but that there may be funding changes in future years, is what we were told,” he said.

Gustafson said the division was planning to reallocate funds for some items in its budget to pay for the extra costs.

In the spring, the province had advised school divisions to track expenses related to wildfires.

Schmidt said about 200 evacuated students are attending schools in Brandon, Winnipeg, Thompson and The Pas.

“These are ever evolving, dynamic situations. So as they evolve, we will continue to be there to work with our divisions and support them, and most importantly, support these students,” she said.

— Brandon Sun