Provincial grant funding, $2.3 million, has been authorized for over 40 playground initiatives in Saskatchewan.
Three faculties in Saskatoon — St. Paul Faculty, Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Faculty, and St. Anne Faculty — will obtain the funding. The federal government says the purpose of the grants that have been launched within the fall is to assist dad and mom construct new play amenities for his or her kids on faculty grounds.
The undertaking lead for the St. Anne undertaking, Brittany Hiebert, is placing collectively an accessible playground for the college. Hiebert shared with International Information that her daughter was in an accident that resulted in her utilizing a wheelchair.
She says the rationale she took over the undertaking is due to her daughter, and she or he acknowledged Saskatoon has very restricted accessible playgrounds on faculty grounds.
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“This wanted to alter, and I needed to make it possible for kids of all skills to have the ability to take part in play,” she instructed International Information.
Hiebert says typical playgrounds have sand and many stairs, each of that are unfit for any individual with mobility aids. She believes accessible playgrounds ought to be the usual.
“Simply having the ability to take part simply brings pleasure,” she mentioned. “It’s regular they need to have the ability to be concerned, so having the ability to entry playgrounds, that basically is regular for them. This ought to be irregular the place they’ll’t take part.”
The brand new playground for St. Anne’s faculty will characteristic ramps, lowered parts like monkey bars, and a rubber floor that’s appropriate for youths and even dad and mom in wheelchairs. The present playground at St. Anne’s will keep and the accessible playground will likely be constructed behind the present one.
Saskatoon has present accessible playgrounds, however just one on faculty grounds at John Dolan Faculty.
“Colleges are nonetheless very inaccessible for kids, kids in a wheelchair, kids with disabilities, so I feel it’s actually vital that we begin working in the direction of that,” Hiebert mentioned. The opposite accessible amenities within the metropolis are vacation spot play areas the place households need to make a journey to go to the playground.
The college has gathered round 80 per cent of the playgrounds’ funding whereas they proceed to lift cash. They hope to finish development in the summertime of 2026.
Watch above for extra on why accessible playgrounds are vital on faculty grounds.
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