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Kids stay home as teachers strike
All the pictures - Pages 18 and 19 SOUTH COUNTRY
Baynes Lake Festival Page 17 SPORT
Teachers protesting outside Isabella Dicken Elementary School in Fernie on Tuesday morning.
Judo team medals Page 22
BUSINESS
Footloose - Page 20
RCMP
Crime reports - Pages 30 and 31
By Angela Treharne Free Press Staff
S
chool was out for three days this week as teachers went on strike. Teachers from Elk Valley schools, and all across the province chose to go on strike Monday for three days, and although the schools in the Elk Valley remained open, the school board asked parents to keep their children at home. The B.C. Teachers' Federation served notice Thursday last week that teachers would be going on strike on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week. As a result, there was no teaching but principals, vice-principals and
support staff including CUPE workers were at work to provide supervision. CUPE workers showed support on Tuesday, holding a rally outside schools in the Elk Valley. Kate Noakes, President of the Fernie District Teachers’ Association, said teachers are ‘devastated’ about government plans to introduce new legislation, known as Bill 22, currently being debated at the legislature in Victoria. Noakes described the legislation as an attack on teachers and students and a chance for the B.C. government to continue under-funding education in the province. “We had a meeting on Monday including a
study session to make sure all our members were familiar with Bill 22,” she said. “People are really shocked and devastated about it. It would take away our basic rights as teachers. It’s very insulting.” More than 160 teachers across the Elk Valley and the South Country went on strike. The B.C. government is debating legislation that would extend the current teacher pay and benefits for another six months, while a mediator works with the BCTF and the B.C. Public School Employers' Association in an effort to find common ground on class sizes, special needs support and other issues.
Photo by M. Bragg
RCMP search for hit and run driver By Angela Treharne Free Press Staff
P
olice are asking for help locating the driver of a Jeep that may have been involved in a hit and run on Friday. Witnesses reported seeing a dark green SUV, possibly a Jeep Grand Cherokee, travelling eastbound in the 400 block of Second Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. when it collided with two parked vehicles. The SUV then sped away from the scene. A partial B.C. licence plate was obtained from the suspect vehicle and is believed to have contained the numbers 255.
Extensive patrols of Fernie and the surrounding area were unsuccessful in locating this vehicle. The suspect vehicle should have extensive damage to the passenger side, likely closer to the front. Police are seeking information from anyone that may have witnessed this accident, witnessed the vehicle speeding down Second Avenue or perhaps seen the vehicle sitting on the street or in a driveway around the area. Any information can be provided to your local RCMP office or through Crimestoppers at 1 (800) 222-TIPS (8477).