B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
At Vancouver Island University in Classroom 105, a dozen Indigenous elders are putting pencil to paper, seizing the opportunity learn how to read and write -- many for the first time.
“It’s a whole different world for us,” Linda Jack, an elder and organizer of the program, told CTV News.
They’re all survivors of residential or day schools, but none learned to read or write while at the schools. Many residential school survivors experienced physical and sexual abuse in the school system, designed to assimilate Indigenous children, but on top of the trauma they suffered, many received little of the education they were supposed to be given.
“They taught me everything but what they were supposed to teach me,” Florence Marshall, one of the elders participating in the new literacy program, told CTV News.
As a little girl, Marshall attended residential school at St. Michael’s in Alert Bay, B.C., and also went to the Nanaimo Indian Hospital, where children receiving treatment for things such as tuberculosis were also abused.
Now, at 68 years old, she’s re-tracing her education, this time with support.
“It was only a dream to come up here, now look at me, I’m in class, and I'm proud,” Marshall said. “I love it. They treat us so good."
Jack came up with the idea from her own challenges with literacy. Her father was a residential school survivor, and she attended day school, which didn’t provide her with a proper education.
“It really hit me that […] I’m not the only one who doesn’t know how to read,” Jack said.
She then approached the university about starting the literacy circle program for others like her.
“This is a game changer,” said Deborah Saucier, president and vice-chancellor of Vancouver Island University.
The students enrolled in this pilot project are all 60 years of age or older, and the lessons are tailored to each person to go above and beyond what would be supplied by a regular literacy program for adults.
“Some folks, they haven’t been back on a school campus for a very long time and this can be traumatic,” Saucier pointed out.
A news release posted on VIU’s website in September emphasized that despite horrific experiences in the education system in Canada, these elders still want to become literate, and are intent on getting the education they deserve.
Jean Maltesen, dean of Academic and Career Preparation, said in the release that: “Despite their horrible experiences with the education system, they want to be educated.
“They want to be able to read to their grandchildren, read recipes, drive a car, fill out forms and participate in other activities that require reading, writing or arithmetic,” she said.
The program offers culturally sensitive support, school supplies, rides and lunch to help students feel comfortable and safe. The seven-week program is free and is taught by an Indigenous instructor who had worked with the university for years.
“Literacy’s a human right,” said Samantha Letourneau, executive director of Literacy Central Vancouver Island, which is collaborating with VIU to create the program. “Everyone should have access to reading, writing [and] numeracy.”
Despite its apparent successes, organizers say the program is at risk if they don’t get sufficient funding. Those who wish to help the program can get in contact with Literacy Central Vancouver Island, Letourneau said.
“I really want to get my education,” Jack said. “I really have a lot of goals.”
Goals she’s chasing after a lifetime of not knowing what she was missing.
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
As Donald Trump was running for president in 2016, his old friend at the National Enquirer was scooping up potentially damaging stories about the candidate and paying out tens of thousands of dollars to keep them from the public eye.
After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government would still send Canada Carbon Rebate cheques to Saskatchewan residents, despite Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas or home heating, questions were raised about whether other provinces would follow suit. CTV News reached out across the country and here's what we found out.
A Montreal actress, who has previously detailed incidents she had with disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, says a New York Court of Appeals decision overturning his 2020 rape conviction is 'discouraging' but not surprising.
Caleb Williams is heading to the Windy City, aiming to become the franchise quarterback Chicago has sought for decades.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.