UPDATE Important message regarding announcement from the Halifax Regional Centre of Education

Dear Members,

As you know the briefings set for today were abruptly cancelled on Wednesday by the Department of Education. This morning we all awoke to media reports with Minister Zach Churchill stating that that three companies would be delivering HRCE students to schools in September 2020 and that Stock would be one of them. I have written the Minister regarding his comments and you can read the letter here.

This morning I met with Jacob Ritchie from HRCE. We all have been working in a vacuum of information and the Minister’s comments just added fuel to the fire. I am somewhat pleased with the information provided to us in the meeting. While Jacob could not share the names of the successful companies he did say that it had been HRCE’s hope from the beginning that whoever won the contracts would continue to have employees represented by the NSGEU. He assured us that the two new companies are eager to meet with us and are intending to certify their employees with the NSGEU.

While we have no information of how the process will work or how the routes will be broken up, we are interpreting this as a positive sign.

At this time we do not know when the information will be announced by HRCE. We are cancelling the update meeting planned for this coming Tuesday, February 4 and will instead attend your scheduled Local meeting here at the NSGEU building on the following Tuesday, February 11.

I appreciate this is a difficult and stressful time for everyone. I will continue to share any information we receive and I look forward to seeing you at your Local Meeting on Tuesday, February 11.

In Solidarity,

Jason