Education in Saskatchewan Timeline

1670	The Hudson’s Bay Company is founded.
1763	The Royal Proclamation of October 7 recognizes that the Indian Nations on land west of the established colonies should not be disturbed by settlement.
1774	The first trading post is established in Saskatchewan at Cumberland House.
1816	The School Act provides property owners in Upper Canada with the ability to meet, hire a teacher, and be eligible for government grants.
1820	Sir Peregrine Maitland brings forward the idea of Indian residential schools in British colonial Canada.
1840	The first school in Saskatchewan is established at Cumberland House by Henry Budd.
1840	The Act of Union unites Upper and Lower Canada into a British colony called the Province of Canada.
1841	The Common School Act provides for one central Chief Superintendent of Education for Canada East and Canada West.
1843	The Education Act repeals the Common School Act of 1841 and re-establishes Canada East and West as responsible for education. It continues to provide for separate schools in Canada West and dissentient schools in Canada East.
1844	The Bagot Commission Report recommends Indian residential, manual or industrial schools for First Nations students.
1846	Egerton Ryerson is hired as the Chief Superintendent of Education for Canada West; he holds that position until 1876.
1867	Confederation of Canada, July1. Section 93 of the British North America Act establishes the current basis of a publicly funded and provincially controlled school system; it protects the rights of separate and dissentient schools that existed prior to Confederation.
1870	North Western Territory and Rupert’s Land transfer from the Hudson’s Bay Company to the Dominion of Canada.
1870	The province of Manitoba is formed, with denominational schools and French and English as official languages.
1871	August 21, Treaty 2 is signed; it covers a small portion of southeastern Saskatchewan.
1874	September 15, Treaty 4 is signed; it covers most of Saskatchewan south of the South Saskatchewan River. The federal government commits to provide schools on reserves.
1875	The North-West Territories Act is passed; it provides for local governments to operate schools, and maintains the rights of Catholic and Protestant separate schools.
1876	The North-West Territories Act is proclaimed, and provision is made for education.
1876	September 9, Treaty 6 is signed; it covers much of Saskatchewan north of the South Saskatchewan River and south of Lac La Ronge.
1879	Nicholas Flood Davin’s Report on Industrial Schools for Indians and Half-Breeds advocates for residential schools.
1881	North-West Territories schools with a minimum daily attendance of 15 students are paid one-half of the teacher’s salary from the Parliament of Canada. This is the first financial support to education from government in the North-West Territories.
1883	April 12, John McLean, the Anglican Bishop for the Archdiocese of Saskatchewan, obtains a charter from the government of Canada to establish the University of Saskatchewan, of which Emmanuel College, a divinity school for the Indian missions in Prince Albert, is a part.
1884	An Ordinance Providing for the Organization of Schools in the North West Territories is passed. The first school districts are formed and they are to be administered by Roman Catholic and Protestant sections of a territorial Board of Education.
1885	The first teaching certificates are issued in the North-West Territories. A Territorial Ordinance provides for the establishment of separate school districts by minority Catholics or Protestants within the boundaries of the public school district.
1888	A School Ordinance first provides for Union High Schools, and then Normal Departments to deliver teacher education.
1889	The Board of Education of the North-West Territories requests the dominion government to establish a university; the request is refused.
1889	Practice teaching is first introduced in Alexandra School in Regina.
1889	The first Union Schools are opened in Regina and Calgary.
1890	University graduates meet in Regina to plan for a government-endowed university.
1892	Amendments to the Ordinances change the name of the Board of Education to the Council of Public Instruction.
1893	The first Normal School is established in Regina. In April, David J. Goggin is appointed principal of the North-West Territories Normal School; he becomes Superintendent of Education in December.
1897	The Manitoba Schools Question is resolved through the involvement of Prime Minister Laurier. The compromises allow for instruction in French if 10 or more students speak French; Catholic schools are not publicly funded.
1899	June 21, Treaty 8 is signed.
1901	The first Department of Education is established.
1903	On November 19 the Legislature of the North-West Territories under the leadership of F.W.G. Haultain seeks a university for the Territories.
1905	The Saskatchewan Act is passed and the province of Saskatchewan is formed.
1906	August 28, Treaty 10 is signed.
1907	The Secondary Education Act, formally known as An Act to Provide for the Organization and Maintenance of Secondary Educational Institutions, is passed. The Saskatchewan Educational Association is formed. The University Act creates the University of Saskatchewan. Chief Justice Edward L. Wetmore is the only nominee for the post of first chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan.
1908	On August 20, Walter Murray is appointed the first president of the University of Saskatchewn.
1909	April 7, Saskatoon is chosen as the location of the University of Saskatchewan. The board of governors approves the College of Agriculture as a fundamental founding part of the new university. Emmanuel College is affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan. September 29, is the first day of classes at the U of S.
1910	Law classes are first offered at the University of Saskatchewan. The practice of including Métis children in Indian residential schools is ended. 1911The Methodist Church registers the first students in Regina College.
1912	The first edition of the University of Saskatchewan student newspaper The Sheaf is published. The first earned degrees are awarded at the University of Saskatchewan: seven Bachelor of Arts degrees; five are awarded to men, and two to women. The first classes in Agriculture begin. The Association Franco-Canadienne de la Saskatchewan is formed. Canada passes the Agricultural Aide Act, which provides agricultural education and aide to farmers. Saskatoon Normal Schools offers its first classes. Canada passes the Agricultural Instruction Act giving financial support to instruction in Agriculture.
1913	Saskatchewan amends the School Act to provide for manual and industrial training.
1914	The Saskatchewan Union of Teachers is formed, a forerunner to the STF.
1915	The Saskatchewan School Trustees’ Association is formed.
1916	1916Premier Walter Scott declares June 30 a provincial holiday to discuss the lack of quality in the Saskatchewan education system.
1917	The School Attendance Act is passed. 1918Harold W. Foght files his report, A Survey of Education in the Province of Saskatchewan. The Association des Commissaires d’Écoles Franco-Canadiens is formed. English becomes the sole language of instruction, except for French-speaking students during their first year of attendance at school.
1919	Canada passes the Technical Education Act, providing direct training for young people and using conditional grants to encourage technical education in the provinces. The Saskatchewan Union of Teachers changes its name to Saskatchewan Teachers’ Alliance. The Regina Collegiate Board introduces the first adult education programs.
1920	Saskatchewan passes the Vocational Education Act in 1920, enabling school boards to establish schools aimed at training students in industrial programs.
1921	The first teachers’ strike in Saskatchewan occurs in Moose Jaw.
1925	Regina College becomes affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan. The Outpost Correspondence School is established to serve settlers and trappers.
1926	The School of Medicine is founded at the University of Saskatchewan. It provides the first two years of medicine, then students must complete medical school at another university.
1927	The School of Education is opened at the University of Saskatchewan.
1930	The Outpost Correspondence School is reorganized to establish the Saskatchewan Government Correspondence School. The Teachers’ Superannuation Act is passed.
1931	Grants for the school year are based on 200 rather than 210 days. French as a language of instruction during the first year of school is removed. The first radio school broadcasts are transmitted to support correspondence school courses.
1932	The R.J.D. Williams Provincial School for the Deaf is opened in Saskatoon. The Rural Teachers’ Association is established.
1933	The Saskatchewan Book Bureau opens.
1934	January 1, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation is formed. Regina College becomes part of the University of Saskatchewan.
1935	An Act Respecting the Teaching Profession is the first in the English-speaking world to require all teachers to belong to a teachers’ organization, in this case the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.
1937	Walter Murray retires as first president of the University of Saskatchewan.
1938	The School of Nursing is established at the University of Saskatchewan.
1939	Canada passes the Youth Training Act, providing capital and operational funding for the training of skilled and unskilled workers in the war industries. The Trade School Regulation Act governing Saskatchewan private vocational schools comes into force.
1940	The School Act is amended to provide a minimum wage of $700 per year for teachers.
1944	The Normal School in Regina closes. The Larger School Units Act is passed. The Department of Education establishes the first Adult Education Branch.
1945	A voluntary provincial salary schedule is distributed to all school districts. Canada passes the Vocational Schools Act, which leads to the establishment of a number of Composite Schools in Saskatchewan. The province passes the first Saskatchewan Apprenticeship Act, which provides a system for the training and certification of apprentices and the trades.
1946	The School of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan becomes a full-fledged College of Medicine. The forerunner to the Saskatchewan Association of School Business Officials is established.
1948	A committee of the Canadian House of Commons and the Senate concludes that the placing of First Nations children in residential schools should end.
1949	The passage of the Teachers’ Salary Negotiations Act requires teachers and trustees to bargain.
1951	The Catholic School Trustees’ Association of Saskatchewan amalgamates with the SSTA.
1952	The Teacher Tenure Act is passed. The first National Conference on Apprenticeship in Trades and Industries provides a stimulus for the development of the Red Seal program.
1953	The University Act is amended to eliminate reference to Normal Schools and to replace it with references to Saskatchewan Teachers’ Colleges.
1956	The Royal Commission on Agriculture and Rural Life, chaired by W.B. Baker, director of the School of Agriculture, files its report on rural education. The Moose Jaw Teachers’ College closes to make way for the Saskatchewan Technical Institute; the Regina Teachers’ College reopens to accommodate teachers in training from Moose Jaw. As a result of the Royal Commission on Agriculture and Rural Life report, the University and the provincial government establish the Centre for Community Studies, with W.B. Baker as director; its purpose is to study the characteristics of changing social and economic life in the province and to explore effective adaptations.
1959	Saskatchewan’s first technical school, the Saskatchewan Technical Institute, opens in Moose Jaw. The University of Saskatchewan offers for the first time an Arts and Science degree at Regina College.
1960	Canada passes the Technical Vocational Training Act, which provides 75% of the funding for the construction and equipping of Comprehensive High Schools in Saskatchewan.
1961	July 1, Regina College is renamed the University of Saskatchewan, Regina Campus.
1963	A Plan for the Reorganization of Instruction in Saskatchewan Schools is adopted by the Department of Education. A second technical institute, the Central Saskatchewan Technical Institute, opens in Saskatoon. Amendments to the Secondary Education Act permit the establishment of Separate High School Districts.
1964	An Act Respecting the Education and Training of Teachers is passed; it integrates all teacher education into the University of Saskatchewan, with colleges in Regina and Saskatoon.
1965	The federal government passes the Adult Occupational Training Act, which terminates federal financial support to high school vocational programming and focuses federal training on adults.
1967	The Joint Committee on Higher Education recommends the establishment of a committee to examine the need for community colleges for Saskatchewan.
1968	The Teachers’ Salary Agreements Act is passed, establishing area bargaining for teachers and trustees.
1969	The Parliament of Canada passes the Official Languages Act.
1970	The Prince Albert Regional Community College is established as a non-profit corporation.
1971	Amendments are made to the School Act, requiring School Units to provide appropriate educational programs for disabled children. The Minister of Education establishes the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Kindergarten to examine the feasibility of implementing a publicly funded Kindergarten program in Saskatchewan.
1972	The Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) is established at the University of Saskatchewan. A new foundation operating grant is implemented, linking grants to class size. Chaired by Ron Faris, the Minister’s Advisory Committee on Community Colleges is established to develop a plan for community colleges in the province. The Department of Continuing Education is established to coordinate post-secondary education in Saskatchewan. The Faris Report recommends the establishment of community colleges in Saskatchewan. The Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences is established in Regina.
1973	The Community Colleges Act is passed, establishing the community college system in Saskatchewan. The Hall Commission, consisting of Emmett Hall, Stewart Nicks and Gordon Sout, is established to examine the need for a university in Regina. The Teacher Collective Bargaining Act is passed, establishing bi-level provincial bargaining between teachers and a government-trustee team.
1974	Legislation is passed establishing the University of Regina. Funding for Kindergarten is provided.
1976	The Saskatchewan Indian Community College is established; in 1985 it is renamed the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology. The Saskatchewan Indian Federated College is established at the University of Regina.
1977	The Northern Teacher Education Program (NORTEP) is established.
1978	The School Act and several other education-related pieces of legislation are consolidated in a new Education Act.
1980	The Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research is established. The Trade Schools Regulation Act (1939) replaces by the Private Vocational Schools Regulation Act.
1981	The Minister of Education establishes the Curriculum and Instruction Review Committee to make recommendations on improving the educational system.
1982	The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Constitution Act guarantees official language and minority language rights in Canada. School radio broadcasts are terminated.
1984	The Directions report is filed, calling for long-term changes to curriculum in the province.
1986	Prince Albert’s Northern Institute of Technology opens its doors, with a mandate to use a competency-based model to provide technical education to northern Saskatchewan. The last Indian residential school closes.
1988	Saskatchewan passes the Regional Colleges Act, renaming the community colleges regional colleges, reducing their number, and restructuring them with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology. February 15: Justice Wimmer of Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench rules that some provisions of the Education Act are inconsistent with Section 23 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
1989	The Coordinating Committee for the Governance of Francophone Schools by Francophones is established and files its report.
1991	June 30, the R.J.D. Williams Provincial School for the Deaf ceases to operate. In December, the Scharf-Langlois Report on Educational Finance and Governance files its report calling for school division restructuring and reform of the school grant system.
1992	The Dumont Technical Institute is established to serve the educational and technical needs of Saskatchewan’s Métis, as the adult upgrading and technical training arm of the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research.
1993	The province of Saskatchewan announces its Saskatchewan Action Plan for Children. As Chair of the University Program Review Panel, A.W. Johnson delivers to the government his report, Looking at Saskatchewan Universities: Programs, Governance, and Goals.
1995	The Private Vocational Schools Regulations Act (1980) is repealed and replaced by the Private Vocational Schools Regulation Act, 1995 and the Private Vocational Schools Regulations, 1995.
1996	Harold H. MacKay files his report on universities, in which he proposes methods to enhance collaboration between the two institutions.
1998	The Minister of Education appoints the Special Education Review Committee to identify concerns and recommend improvements.
1999	The Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Act, 1999 is passed to establish the Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission. The Minister of Education establishes the Task Force and Public Dialogue on the Role of the School.
2000	The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies Act is passed to establish the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, which provides adult basic education, post-secondary training programs, and related educational programs. In January, the Special Edu cation Review Committee files its report, Directions for Diversity: Enhancing Supports to Children and Youth with Diverse Needs. In October, the Minister of Education files his response and action plan, called Strengthening Supports, for implementing the Special Education Review Committee’s recommendations.
2001	The Task Force and Public Dialogue on the Role of the School files its final report, SchoolPLUS: A Vision for Children and Youth. Commonly referred to as the Role of School Report, it recommends that all services for children and youth be delivered in an integrated school-linked/school-based fashion. In April, the government announces KidsFirst, the cornerstone of the province’s early childhood strategy; funded by the federal government, the purpose of the program is to enhance the capacity of vulnerable families to nurture their children.
2002	The Premier releases the government’s response to the Role of School Report, Securing Saskatchewan’s Future: Ensuring the Wellbeing and Educational Success of Saskatchewan’s Children and Youth, which endorses the SchoolPLUS report and agrees that schools have two primary roles: to educate children and youth, and to support delivery of other human services such as health, social services and justice. Campus Saskatchewan is established to expand the use of technology-enhanced learning in the post-secondary sector.
2003	The Learning Resources Distribution Centre, formerly the Book Bureau, is closed. In May, the government announces the appointment of the Boughen Commission to examine the funding of K-12 education, with particular emphasis on the role of property taxation. On June 21, National Aboriginal Day, the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College is renamed the First Nations University of Canada. In December, the Boughen Commission files its report, Finding the Balance.
2004	In May, the Minister of Learning announces the response to the Boughen Commission and establishes a task force to draw new school division boundaries. In November, the Minister of Learning releases the new school division boundaries, to be effective on January 1, 2006. Comparison of Standard Education Levels

Ken Horsman