B.C. school district apologizes for exam asking how First Nations 'benefitted' from relationships with colonizers
A B.C. school district is apologizing for a question that appeared on an exam asking students to give examples of how First Nations people may have benefitted from their relationships with colonizers.
In a statement Friday, the Burnaby School District said it was "moving swiftly" after learning about the question that appeared on a Grade 9 social studies test.
The district's statement says students were asked to "explain how First Nations people benefitted from their relationships with European colonizers," adding that the question said "'many took advantage' of those relationships."
The statement says the district superintendent learned about the question on Thursday after a student told media about it.
"It is inappropriate and worse than that, this kind of question is harmful and could be trauma-inducing for Indigenous youth and damaging to meaningful relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people," Supt. Gina Niccoli-Moen said in the statement.
"This is not the way we integrate Indigenous perspectives and worldviews into curriculum in the Burnaby School District."
The superintendent apologized for the question and said a review of materials is underway.
"While I want people to know how deeply saddened and sorry I am that this question was put on a student exam, it is equally important to take it beyond words and take steps to prevent this from happening again," Niccoli-Moen said.
The district says it's reaching out to students in the class to find out what support and care they need. It's unclear who came up with the question, but the district says it's talking to the group "that developed the online course from which the question was taken."
"While the question on the exam was not the latest version, the district has concerns about the current material, which is a provincial resource for online learning," the district's statement says.
In November, another B.C. school district launched an investigation after an Indigenous parent shared a video on social media about one of her 11-year-old daughter's school assignments.
The assignment from a middle school in Abbotsford asked students to list five positive outcomes of Canada's residential school system that forcibly separated Indigenous children from their communities.
At the time, Dr. Kevin Godden, superintendent of the Abbotsford School District, told CTV News Vancouver in a statement that the district "immediately launched an investigation" after learning about the assignment.
"Assignments like this are not acceptable," Godden said in November. "This incident is a disservice to the district’s commitment to truth and reconciliation."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.