E122 - Trades, Creativity, and a Chocolate Factory Inside This Northern Ontario Public School
Published: January 7, 2026
Duration: 46:14
At White Pines Collegiate & Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie, school doesn’t look like it used to.
Alongside classrooms and hallways, students are learning trades, building real skills, and even running a working chocolate factory.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, we step inside White Pines to explore how the school is rethinking education. Principal Jennifer Barbeau and former student Josh Sidwell share why hands on learning, creativity, and multiple pathways matter, especially in Northern Ontario where one size does not fit all.
1:58 Why White Pines is rethinking traditional education
Alongside classrooms and hallways, students are learning trades, building real skills, and even running a working chocolate factory.
In this episode of the Backroads Bill Podcast, we step inside White Pines to explore how the school is rethinking education. Principal Jennifer Barbeau and former student Josh Sidwell share why hands on learning, creativity, and multiple pathways matter, especially in Northern Ontario where one size does not fit all.
1:58 Why White Pines is rethinking traditional education