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Flin Flon school board rejects request to send bus to Cranberry Portage

The growing number of Cranberry Portage students attending school in Flin Flon will not have a bus to take them to and from their home community. The Flin Flon school board has turned down a request for a daily bus run between the two communities.

The growing number of Cranberry Portage students attending school in Flin Flon will not have a bus to take them to and from their home community.

The Flin Flon school board has turned down a request for a daily bus run between the two communities.

“It’s just right now, it’s not viable for us to do it,” board chairman Murray Skeavington said at Tuesday’s board meeting. “We looked at many reasons why and just it doesn’t make sense for us to bring a bus into Cranberry to pick the kids up.”

Asked whether finances were the board’s concern, Skeavington replied, “A few [other] reasons also. It was just a combination of a bunch of reasons that we just didn’t want to at this time.”

Trustees reached the decision at an Oct. 25 meeting of their Strategic Planning Committee. Five of seven trustees were present.

Minutes from the meeting gave no further explanation for the decision, noting simply: “The Board will not provide a bus to Cranberry to pick up students. A letter will be sent [to parents who requested busing].”

Five mothers from Cranberry Portage appeared before the board last month to request a daily bus run to and from
Flin Flon.

The moms said 19 Cranberry Portage students now attend school in Flin Flon, a number expected to grow to at least 23 next year.

Tracy Wheeler-Anderson, one of the mothers, emphasized the importance of the funding the Flin Flon School Division receives by having the Cranberry Portage pupils in its system.

She also spoke of safety and environmental concerns around multiple vehicles from Cranberry Portage travelling to drop off and pick up students at the school division’s existing bus stop at Bakers Narrows.

At the time, Trustee Angela Simpson said the board would consider the request but did not want to be seen as “poaching” students from another school division. Cranberry Portage students live in Frontier School Division jurisdiction.

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