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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, D ec em be r 27 ,2 01 8 | 10 CAMBRIDGE 90 Main Street cornerstonefurniture.ca 519.740.9991 /CornerstoneHome /cornerstonehomeinteriors We stock more sofas than any store in Ontario. Be amazed! CORNERSTONE'S GREAT STORE-WIDE HOLIDAY SALE Until January 10th, save up to 70% on select furniture: beds, sofas, carpets, chairs, tables, entertainment units, leather chairs and sofas, accessories and Christmas items. Sale is on all in-stock inventory while supplies last. Free adjustable bed base with matress purchase! The province's abrupt cancellation of a swath of school grants will lead to cuts in indigenous educa- tion, student leadership op- portunities and physical activity programs at Hal- ton's Catholic school board. The provincial cuts were announced Dec. 14 and total $25 million across Ontario. Ten board programs will no longer be funded by provincial "Education Pro- jects -- Other" (EPO) grants. They include literacy pro- grams; supports to help students access post-sec- ondary education; a project to help dropouts finish high school; indigenous learn- ing initiatives; physical ac- tivity programs; a grant to help students run special events and conferences; and an equity and inclu- sion student leadership program. Halton Catholic District School Board Treasurer Roxana Negoi says board staff is still working to sort out what the cuts will mean at the school level. She says the board receives more than $1.5 million annually in "additional" grants in re- cent years, but not all have been cancelled. Communications officer Amanda Bartucci says that based on what has been communicated from the ministry so far, there will not be job losses. Most of the cancelled programs have already been funded and executed for the last time, meaning the board isn't on the hook for money that has been spent and now won't be paid back. "There's no financial im- pact there, per se, but ser- vice-wise, there will be an impact," said Negoi in a Dec. 19 phone call. However, it won't re- ceive $108,111 for technolo- gy and innovation projects that has already been spent. The province has al- so indicated that grants around experiential learn- ing, a renewed math strate- gy and safe schools/mental health are being examined and may be renegotiated. Last year, the board re- ceived nearly $900,000 for those programs. The board plans to find other ways to continue some of the cancelled pro- gramming, but saving all of it won't be possible. "There's certain things we've been doing in the schools we will want to con- tinue," said Negoi. "We need to wrap our heads around (all of the details)." The board expects that the program to help return- ing students finish Grade 12 will continue, said Colin McGillicuddy, Superinten- dent of Education, School Services. "The funding amount is small and we defray costs through the Thomas Mer- ton Centre for Continuing Education that we would otherwise cover our- selves," he said in a Dec. 20 email, noting the program serves about 120 students. Student trustee Stepha- nie Mazza says she and her peers feel upset that they weren't consulted, and un- easy about what the cuts could mean for school pro- gramming. "Stakeholders should be involved in any major deci- sions," she said Dec. 20. "There's so many different groups of students who will be affected... The wellbeing of our generation as a whole has been compro- mised." NEWS HALTON CATHOLIC BOARD WAITS ON FUTURE OF $900,000 IN PROVINCIAL GRANTS An outdoor classroom at St. Bernadette School in Oakville. Riziero Vertolli/Metroland Media SAIRA PEESKER speesker@metroland.com