Article content continued

“It’s time for there to be one single unifying and secular school system in Saskatchewan,” Richards said. “We really want to bring together the strength of the province and the best way to have a strong school system is by celebrating everyone and bringing everyone together.”

Richards said a unified, secular school system would not mean the end of religious education. Students could still learn about religion in an “academic sense,” and have numerous opportunities for spiritual practice at home and elsewhere, he said.

Tom Fortosky, a former president of the Saskatchewan Catholic School Boards Association who remains a spokesman for the organization, said there is “a desire and a need” for a Catholic system in Saskatchewan. Even in a unified system, costs would be similar, he said.

“There are no savings as such. There are still a whole number of students that need to be educated. You need a number of teachers to teach those students … and you need some administration to run the whole system.”

Fortosky said the association still needs to discuss what steps, if any, it will take to communicate with the One System group.

“Challenges to Catholic education have been there forever,” he noted, adding there seems to be “an awful lot of support” from the public to keep a Catholic system in place and the two systems separated.

“We firmly believe in having a Catholic school system and a public system in the province,” he said.

In response to an interview request, the Ministry of Education issued a prepared statement. The government “recognizes the constitutionally protected right of minority-faith schools to exist in the Province of Saskatchewan,” the statement read.

“The Government understands that the ramifications that potentially come as a result of the application of the recent Court of Queen’s Bench ruling would be disruptive to thousands of Saskatchewan families and continues to review this court ruling and all available options.”

One System Sask’s website indicates plans for a letter-writing campaign and a petition, but members say the group’s main goal is an ongoing dialogue with the government.

— With Canadian Press files

mmodjeski@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/MorganM_SP