Child advocate says oversight concerns prompted investigation into independent schools

Saskatchewan’s child advocate is preparing to spend the coming months investigating government oversight and accountability at registered independent schools in the province.

Dr. Lisa Broda said her office has presented a formal notice to the Ministry of Education informing the government that she has launched the investigation. Broda said the ministry has previously been forthcoming and cooperative with her previous requests for documents and information, but a formal investigation is still necessary.

“Some of the things that we have learned, just briefly, around the categories of independent schools, how their oversight is provided by the Ministry of Education, has raised some questions,” Broda said.

Questions about the ministry’s oversight of all independent schools and issues underlying systemic problems are going to be the focus of Broda’s investigation, she said. The advocate said she has concerns based on the recent allegations against certain independent schools because of “less oversight and varied oversight in these independent schools.”

Broda wouldn’t comment on what information she has received from the ministry so far, saying it will come out in her investigation and final report.

“There’s enough there … it raises some questions about that oversight piece,” she said.

Broda said her paramount concern is ensuring kids are safe heading back to class this fall — which, she said, includes ensuring people named as defendants in a lawsuit launched against Mile Two Church Inc. and several of its former affiliates are not present in schools this fall.

The provincial advocate said the ministry has been “pretty reactionary” in how they’ve managed recent allegations made against schools like Legacy Christian Academy in Saskatoon, which has recently come under fire as a number of allegations of abuse have been made public.

After hearing the allegations, Broda said her office immediately reached out to the ministry about what was happening. The past two weeks have been spent gathering information prior to formally launching the investigation, she said.

While many of the allegations are historic in nature, with some dating back more than two decades, Broda said her office also works to prevent future instances of abuse — something that will bear investigation in this case, too.

“I will be examining the historical context against the backdrop of what we see now,” Broda said. “We’re seeing themes of incongruent oversight, incongruent reporting mechanisms that raised questions for me.”

Broda couldn’t say how long the investigation will take, but gave early 2023 as a tentative date for her final report.

“With limited oversight or varied oversight, I need to be satisfied the children are safe, and that’s the bottom line,” Broda said.