February 15, 1968 and February 23, 1968. For 10 years after opening its doors, the Saskatchewan Training School (STS), created to care for the mentally handicapped, went through a honeymoon phase wherein it rode a wave of praise and high public support; yet, as with all honeymoons, it eventually ended. While initial support of the institution was high from family members of people with mental disabilities, politicians, and others, in 1968, the critics found their voice.

In 1960, an article came out in Saskatoon’s newspaper The Star-Phoenix. In it, the reporter noted that the 500-person waiting list had put the STS administration under pressure to expand whom they admitted. Originally, the school only worked with people who had the dexterity to learn new skills and could reenter society armed with these skills. With the pressure of a large waiting list, however, the administration extended the scope of whom they admitted. The Star-Phoenix reporter noted “The pressure to admit the most urgent cases from the waiting list [resulted] in more severely retarded gaining admission out of proportion to their numbers” (Ettinger, 1960, p.12). This in turn resulted in more residents needing long-term care – the opposite of what STS’s goals were.

In 1968, a couple of newspaper articles came out criticizing the STS’s role. According to Lorne Elkin, a supervisor of psychological research at STS, the school was not able to show that 95% of “the mentally retarded ‘can and must function in society’” (Role of STS, 1968, p.1) While the school’s main goal was to reintroduce its residents back into society, its current population was proving that unrealistic. Elkin went on to argue that STS was supposed to be a stopgap for all people diagnosed with mental disabilities regardless of their capabilities. Yet, it was slowly turning into a long-term care facility. Additionally, the centre was failing to help the residents it had discharged as they integrated into the community. He maintained, “…half of [the] total discharged population received only assessment services” (Role of STS, 1968, p.1). Lastly, the staff was not displaying the human factor that is necessary to achieve a high “program credibility” – essentially they were “doing ‘to and for’ rather than ‘with’ the retardate,” which “robs him of whatever capacity for self-determination he has” (Role of STS, 1968, p.1).

Although the majority of the shortcomings started with STS, Elkin was sure to spread the blame when it came to discussing the flawed system of care for people with mental disabilities. In a letter to the editor, he blamed parents of residents for not doing more to care for their children at home, the government for not providing better services, and the community (specifically Moose Jaw – which enjoyed the money the school brought in) for not doing its part to accept former residents and make their community transition easier.

When asked what the government was going to do about the situation, Health Minister Gordon Grant told the Saskatchewan Association for Retarded Children, “it was their task to generate the public interest necessary to initiate major steps” for change (Minister Advises More “Pressure,” 1968, p.1) The government did not seem too interested in changing anything at STS.

-Blaine Wickham

• Minister Advises More “Pressure,” (1968, Feb 15). Moose Jaw Times-Herald, p. 1.

• Role of STS In Public Education Questioned, (1968, Feb 15). Moose Jaw Times-Herald, p. 1.

• Training School is Part of the Total Community, (1968, Feb. 23). Moose Jaw Times-Herald, p. 4.

• Ettinger, P. (1960, June 28). Large Waiting List for Moose Jaw School. The Star-Phoenix, p. 12

• Wickham, B. (2012, September). Valley View Centre Moose Jaw: Report prepared for the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport. Retrieved from http://www.tpcs.gov.sk.ca/VVC