Member’s Statement – School closures and Rural Development

Mr. Speaker, it has been decades since any government has had staff dedicated to promoting rural development.  In fact rural community development has not been among government priorities since the 1980s.  The decline in student numbers in rural schools should be seen as an opportunity to strengthen rural communities by utilizing them to provide child care, senior care, early childhood learning, primary healthcare, and wellness activities – while continuing to use them to educate local children.  Let’s make rural schools the hub of our rural communities, rather than abandoning them, and rural New Brunswick in the process.Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Member’s Statement – School closures and Rural Development
David Coon, MLA, Fredericton-South,
Leader of the Green Party
Tuesday, March 17, 2015