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North Okanagan-Shuswap school district welcomes new Holocaust curriculum

Discriminatory history around internment camps may be addressed
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The provincial government recently announced mandatory Holocaust curriculum in high schools, with other additions also being considered, such as Japanese internment camps during the Second World War. (Heather Black-Eagle Valley News)

School District 83 is embracing the provincial government’s recently announced plans to make Holocaust education mandatory for high school students.

On Oct. 30, Premier David Eby announced that the component will be added to Grade 10 curriculum in the 2025-26 school year, a move that Supt. Donna Kriger supports.

“I know it’s only a few short years that I’ve been in the province of British Columbia, but I have to say I’m immensely proud to be an educator in this province,” said Kriger – who moved here in 2021 – during the Nov. 21 board meeting. “And to work under a ministry that is really proactive.”

The government is also considering adding more such topics discrimination, including Japanese internment during the Second World War. For local schools, that could include the five internment camps located between Sicamous and Revelstoke – at the Cambie Solsqua Road intersection with Highway 1, Yard Creek, the north fork of Perry River, Griffin Lake and at Three Valley Gap.

A display at the Sicamous & District states that “internees had their property confiscated, which was sold to finance their internment while they worked on road crews to realign and reconstruct what would become the TransCanada Highway.”

The implementation of that additional curriculum has yet to be determined, however, with the government stating they will engage in conversations with stakeholders over the next year to ensure they’re “moving forward together with partners and communities.”

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Read more: Sicamous history gets updated with new format at district museum



About the Author: Heather Black

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