Sioux Valley to spend $2M on portable classrooms

BRANDON — The Sioux Valley Dakota Nation will invest more than $2 million in portable classrooms as 90 students will be transferred from Sioux Valley High School in Brandon to the community in the fall.

The move was prompted by serious concerns about the safety and suitability of the building, Sioux Valley Chief Vincent Tacan told the Brandon Sun.

Tacan said council made the decision due to the building’s aging infrastructure, potential asbestos contamination and an outdated boiler-based heating system in the basement.

“Would you put your child in a school that has asbestos?” he asked. “We won’t gamble with the health of our students or staff anymore. That building was supposed to be temporary, now we’re nearly 10 years in.”

Originally built in 1914, the former Fleming school was purchased by the community in partnership with the Brandon School Division as an interim measure while awaiting a new facility, Tacan said.

“It was originally designed for younger students, not high schoolers, and has fallen into further disrepair over the years.”

Sioux Valley had hoped to be on track for a new, permanent school, but a recent letter from Indigenous Services Canada dashed those expectations.

In the letter addressed to chief and council and shared with the Sun, Kandice Léonard, ISC’s regional director general for Manitoba, stated: “Indigenous Services Canada has not committed funding for the design and construction of a new school … Sioux Valley Dakota Nation remains included in the department’s prioritization process for future investment consideration.”

The news left the community disheartened.

“There was a perception in the community that a new school was coming. That was not true,” Tacan said.

With no confirmed government funding, Sioux Valley is moving ahead with its own funds to secure the portable classrooms.

“We’re funding this ourselves because we have to,” Tacan said. “It’s what our children deserve.”

The new portable setup will return about 90 students to their home community, sparing them from about three-hour-long daily commutes to Brandon-area schools such as Crocus Plains, Vincent Massey and Neelin High.

The portable classrooms will be delivered and installed ahead of the 2025–26 academic year, Tacan said.

The community is also seeking support from other organizations and is open to partnerships to expand or enhance the temporary facilities, particularly to secure a gymnasium, he added.

Tacan said Sioux Valley’s struggle is not unique.

“There are 63 First Nations in Manitoba, and many of their schools are in rough shape,” he said. “Now we have wildfires in the north, and the resources are being stretched even thinner.”

— Brandon Sun