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15TuesdayApril152014EducationCurriculumByMEAGANWOHLBERGTheAlbertagovernmentiscommittingtothereconcilia-tionprocessofaddressingitsownesidentialschoolslegacybyincorporatinglessonsonthedifcultsubjectalongwithmoregeneralAboriginalcon-tentintoallofitsclassroomsoverthenextfewyears.BothEducationMinisterJeffJohnsonandAborigi-nalRelationsMinisterFrankOberlerecentlyannouncedthegovernmentsplantoin-corporatemandatorylessonsonresidentialschoolsintoitsK-12curriculumcurrentlyundergoingatotalredesignbyaround2016-17.JohnsonspresssecretaryDanPowerssaidtheredesignisinitsearlystageshavingjustbeguninFebruarymean-inglessonplansareunclearasofyetbuthesaidthesensitivecontentwillbeadjustedforageandcourseappropriately.Theresalotofgoodtobetaughtaswellasthebad.FNMIFirstNationsMetisandInuitcommunitieshavesucharichhistoryandtheressomuchtherethattheministerfeelsthatitsimportanttostartearlywithourstudentsandhavethatcontentavailabletothemfromayoungagerightthroughtheireducationPowerssaid.ResidentialschoolslegacytobetaughtinallAlbertaclassroomsRightnowtheonlyman-datedlessonsonresidentialschoolsareincludedinGrade10socialstudiesclasseswhichthedepartmentnolongerfeelsisadequate.WereproudthatthatstherebutweneedtogofurtherPowerssaid.Thisistherststepinthat.Thedepartmentisnowen-gagingwithAboriginalpartnersfromTreaties67and8Pow-erssaid.Thegeneralreactionthusfarhasbeengreatsupportfortheinitiative.Itsbeenreallywarmlyreceived...Peoplearethrilledaboutit.IthinkitsabigstepforwardfortheeducationsystemandforAlbertaPow-erssaid.Thoughmuchoftheinitia-tivewassparkedbythelastmeetingofCanadaseduca-tionministersinIqaluitPow-erssaidtheworkoftheTruthandReconciliationCommissionacrossthecountryhasbeenaninspirationandanincentivetotheeducationsystemtotakebiggerstepstowardcreatingawarenessandhealing.Ithinktheresjustagen-eralrecognitionamongstourgovernmentandourpartyandmostAlbertansthatthetimereallyhascometomoveforwardandtoincludethiscontentintothecurriculum.ItsalsopartofthehealingprocesswithourAboriginalpartnershesaid.Anarbitraryroll-outdateof2016-17hasbeensetbythede-partmentbutPowersnotedthepriorityisgettingthingsdoneproperlyratherthanbyaspe-cicdeadline.Thereisnodeadlineforthisweregoingtotakeourtimetogetitright.Soifittakesthreeyearsifittakesfouryearsveyearsaslongasthegovernmentfeelsthatadequatetimehasbeenputintoitandtheresbeenexhaustiveconsultationwithallofourpartnersnotuntilthenwouldwemoveforwardwithimplementingtheredesignedcurriculumhesaid.AboriginalcontentpartofgeneraloverhaulTheadditionofmoreAb-originalcontenttotheAlbertaK-12curriculumispartofasys-tem-widereviewcurrentlyun-derwayintheprovincewhichbeganinFebruary.TheeffortsarebeingledbytheschoolboardswhoareinthemidstofanengagementandconsultationprocesswithavarietyofstakeholdersfromFirstNationstonon-protsandmorecontroversiallytheprivatesectorincludingoilcompanies.TheinclusionofindustryatthetablespecicallyonthedevelopmentofK-3curricu-lumbeingheadedbytheEd-montonPublicSchoolBoardhascausedconsiderablepublicconcerninAlberta.AnNDP-backedpetitionta-bledlastweekintheLegislativeAssemblycontains26000sig-naturesaskingthegovernmenttoremoveCenovusSyncrudeandSuncorEnergyfromthelistofpartnershelpingtodraftthefuturecurriculum.Powerssaidtherearemanymembersoftheprivatesectoraddingtheirvoicetothecon-sultationsincludingMicrosoftCiscoSystemsandenvironmen-talreclamationcompaniesandthatthenotionofoilcompanieswritingclassroomcurriculumispatentlyfalse.AttheendofthedayAl-bertaeducationdesignsthecurriculumwritesthecur-riculumdetermineswhatsgoingtobeinitandhasnalsayovereverythinghesaid.Wejustwantabroadcross-sectionofrepresentationfromallsectorsinthecurriculumredesignprocess.ByMEAGANWOHLBERGTheofceoftheNWTChiefCoroneriscallingforapublicawarenesscampaignaboutthedangersofcarbonmonoxidepoisoningfrompropanegasheatingappliancesfollowingthedeathsofacoupleatacabinoutsideHayRiverlastfall.CoronerJamesForseyfoundthattheaccidentaldeathsofcommon-lawpartnersRobertBradleyandFlorenceLavi-olette-Rappaged52and58respectivelyonOct.122013werecausedbyacutecarbonmonoxidetoxicitystemmingfromtheuseofindoorpro-panelamps.Thecouplehadbeenrent-ingacabinattheMountAvencampgroundoutsideofHayRiverwhentheywerefounddeceasedbyRCMPaftertheownershoweduptocollectrentandreceivednoanswer.AccordingtothecoronersreportalocalpropanedealerandGNWTgasinspectorex-aminedthepropanesysteminthecabinwhichconsistedofanexteriortankinteriorstovefurnaceandlamps.ThelampsrevealedevidenceHealthWellnessSafetyMoreawarenessneededoncarbonmonoxidecoronerCoronercallsforawarenesscampaignfollowingaccidentaldeathsofinefcientburning.Furtherinspectionfoundthelampstobeworkingproperlyandwhenleftburningatalowsettingforovereighthoursintheairtightcabinrevealedlethallevelsofcarbonmonoxide.Bothindividualsweretrans-portedtoEdmontonforpost-mortemexaminationwhereitwasdeterminedthatthelevelsofcarbonmonoxideinhaledhadbeenhighenoughtoac-countfordeath.ThecoronersofcemadeasinglebroadrecommendationtotheNWTpremiertodevelopandimplementapublicaware-nesscampaignforpeopleacrosstheterritorywhethertheybelandlordspropertyownersortenantsinrelationtopropaneappliances.Theawarenesscampaignshouldbeaimedatensuringpeopleunderstandtherisksofimproperlyinstalledorpoorlymaintainedappliancesandtohighlighttheimportanceofproperinstallationalongwiththeuseofsmokeandcarbonmonoxidedetectorsbothofwhichwereabsentfromthecabinaccordingtothereport.Whilethelampsinthecabinwereprofessionallyin-stalledChiefCoronerCathyMenardsaiditsimportantforeveryoneintheNorthtohaveanunderstandingofthehaz-ardsofusingsuchappliances.Safetybeginswithknowl-edgeshetoldTheJournal.IntheNorthsomanypeo-plehavecabinsandsomanypeopleusedifferentappli-ancessowekindofmadethatrecommendationsortofbroadbecausealthoughinthiscaseitwasalampitcouldhavebeentheotherthingswelistedinthecabin.Whileindividualcommu-nityredepartmentssome-timesputonawareness-raisingeventsorcampaignsrelatedtothingslikefurnacemain-tenanceandcarbonmonoxidedetectionMenardsaidthereneedstobeacoordinatedef-fortbygovernmenttoensurethatmessagereachesallNWTresidents.WejustwantedittobebroadacrossthewholeNorth-westTerritoriestogetthatmessageouttoeverybodywhetheryouliveinFortSmithorinDelineorinYel-lowknifeshesaid.Peoplearethrilledaboutit.Ithinkitsabigstepforwardfortheeducationsys-temandforAlberta.DanPowersAlbertaEducationPhotocourtesyofJeffJohnsonAlbertaEducationMinisterJeffJohnsonisaimingtohaveresidentialschoolsincludedinthenewK-12curriculumby2016-17.LiquorbustinFortGoodHopeAloadofliquorwasrecentlyseizedbyFortGoodHopeRCMPonitswayintothecom-munitywhereliquorrestrictionsareineffectfollowingthemurderofawomaninlateMarch.Reportsthatalcoholwasafactorinthecrimeledchiefandcounciltoputinplacea30-daybanonliquorenteringtheSahtucommunity.PhotocourtesyofNormanYakeleya