B.C. First Nations schools need more funding, federal budget watchdog says

A new report by Canada’s federal budget watchdog says First Nations schools in British Columbia need $13 million more than Ottawa currently provides to keep the schools from deteriorating.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer says reserve schools in B.C., need $39 million this fiscal year to maintain current infrastructure, but Ottawa typically provides $26 million annually.

The report also says required funding could reach $47 million by 2028-29, based on anticipated growth in student populations.

But if reserve schools, which the report says are mostly underutilized, operate at the same capacity as those run by the provincial government, that number could fall to $30 million.

The study says the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada program that allocates money for the upkeep of First Nations schools is under pressure, so many projects are often delayed, in favour of more immediate repairs or upgrades.

The report was requested by NDP aboriginal affairs critic and Nanaimo-Cowichan MP Jean Crowder, as a follow-up to a 2009 report showing more than 500 reserve schools in the country are under-funded.