October 1, 1974. In late 1973, after suffering a series of harsh criticisms about its practices, Saskatchewan Training School (STS) in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan underwent a series of revisions. The government revamped its mental health policy specifically that concerning people diagnosed with mental deficiencies. This new policy, called “normalization,” focused on creating a space in the community for children with intellectual disabilities. Accordingly, the government renamed STS to Valley View Centre (VVC), and maintained that the centre was to be only one aspect, and they hoped a small one at that, of the care people with mental disabilities would or could receive. The idea was to lower the resident population and bring it into parity with that of the staff. Yet, even with these changes, VVC continued to come under fire by critics.

As part of the restructuring, CORE Services, the governmental agency that dealt with governmental mental health policy, announced that it would send former Saskatchewan deputy minister of public health Dr. Graham Clarkson to inspect VVC. Clarkson began his inspection in late 1973. By the middle of the next year, he came back with his report and by August, The Leader-Post reported on it in their paper. Overall, the report was not favourable to the institution, the government, or to CORE Services. It listed many ways the school was falling short. At the top of that list was just being a self-contained institution that kept people apart from the community – an obsolete ideal that the government need to move past. Additionally, the school was over-crowded, there was a shortage of staff and a lack of training among those that did work. The buildings were inadequate, and there was a lack of equipment, such as wheelchairs, for the residents. (The Clarkson Report, 1974)

In its defence, the administration argued that over a decade of inadequate government budgeting had put the facility in its current state. Moose Jaw North MLA, Dr. Don MacDonald, insisted that the government had to step in and correct the wrong at VVC. It was “overcrowded, understaffed, and in its present condition not suitable for the mentally retarded” (MLA wants Action, 1974 p.11). MacDonald argued that only about half of the staff were directly involved and worked with the residents of the centre. It was top heavy, carrying too many administrators and not enough staff involved with residents. Those that did interact with the residents had a heavy workload and were “depressed and demoralized.” (MLA wants Action, 1974, p.11)

In response to the criticism and the report, Core Services hired 23 untrained personal – bringing the total to 410 resident care personnel. The centre was still 80 staff members short of what the American Association of Mental Deficiency recommended for the resident population size of VVC. To further help the staff, on October 1, 1974 Core Services implemented a new training program. The plan they adopted was the National Institute for Mental Retardation’s level 1 program, which was the junior half of a two-level training program.

-Blaine Wickham

• The Clarkson Report: Programs for Mentally Retarded are Recommended. (1974, Aug. 24) The Leader-Post, p. 11.

• MLA Wants Action. (1974, Aug. 29) Moose Jaw Times-Herald, p. 11.

• Valley View Points: The Aging Institution. (1974, Aug. 24) The Leader-Post, p, 11.

• Valley View Conditions Reported Improving. (1974, Nov. 28) The Leader-Post, p, 4.

• 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