The Saint-Quentin municipal council does not intend to sit idly by in the matter of closing its satellite premises at the New Brunswick Community College.
With general elections just around the corner, he intends to put this issue at the forefront and try to obtain firm commitments from potential candidates from the various parties.
Last April, the Ministry of Postsecondary Education, Training and Labor announced the closure of the Saint-Quentin branch for June 14. It notably offered secondary education training for adults and an academic remedial program aimed at preparing students to obtain a secondary diploma.
The decision to close the facility was made by Travail NB. Due to a lack of funding from the province, the latter agreed not to renew this service or the lease.
Mayor of Saint-Quentin, Nicole Somers still has not digested the situation.
“It is an incredible lack of sensitivity towards our community, towards our citizens who relied on these services to flourish, to improve their living conditions and hope to have better jobs,” she underlines, noting that Other communities in the province are also grappling with a similar problem.
According to her, some students have already decided to move to Campbellton in order to complete their studies. Two will benefit from tutoring in order to complete their course. However, this option will no longer be in effect for new customers.
“For future clients, it will be in person in Campbellton or online courses. But this way of learning is another barrier for these students. “In-person education is worth a lot more than online education,” says Somers.
She says she has been aware of the province’s intentions since last November and has since tried different approaches to overturn the decision.
“I talked about it with the party leaders, I made calls, discussed it with representatives of the community college. It was suggested that we find a free location and we did it. But despite everything, the decision has not been revised, we are maintaining the courses remotely,” she said.
If the municipality says it wants to challenge the government’s decision, there is no question of venturing into a legal saga as was the case in the past when the province attacked its Services NB branch.
“We are not going to go to court, but we do not intend to remain silent either.”
