FRIDAY MARCH 9, 2012
www.pqbnews.com
Official newspaper of the Save-On-Foods Oceanside Generals
GOOD NEWS FOR THE FISH
SWEET SOUNDS
Community rallies to help Nile Creek hatchery recover
New music venue throws open its doors in Coombs this weekend
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B3
FINES
On the way up City of Parksville says municipal fines aren’t tough enough AUREN RUVINSKY writer@pqbnews.com
Are you paying too little when the City of Parksville catches you contravening one of its bylaws? City council thinks so. Parksville council is set to update its municipal ticket information bylaw. The move was sparked when staff looked at fines for a new bylaw prohibiting deer feeding and saw that many fines seemed low. Before the update the highest fine is $1,000 for cutting down a protected tree without a permit, while other infractions, particularly involving health and safety, could be considered equally, MAYOR CHRIS BURGER if not more serious, the report said. The new bylaw increases many fines by double or more including things like possessing liquor in a park from $100 to $150, failure to clear a fire hazard from $100 to $200, damage to park property from $100 to $250 and the biggest increase, discharge of explosives or starting a fire in a park from $100 to $500. It also adds a new $500 fine for obstructing a city employee or officer. The bylaws will go back to council for final approval at their next meeting.
BRENDA GOUGH PHOTO
GLAD TO BE BACK: Linette Wood’s Grade 6 class at Springwood Middle School is hitting the books once again after a three-day walkout by teachers comes to an end across the province.
Students return to class School resumes in District 69 (Qualicum) after three days of protest in the street
BRENDA GOUGH reporter@pqbnews.com
B.C.’s 41,000 teachers went back to their classrooms yesterday after a three-day strike but parents and students will have to wait another week before they find out what the teachers next move will be. The B.C. Teachers Federation has postponed a job action vote until next weekend to coincide with their annual general meeting which goes March 17 to 20 in Vancouver. The questions teachers will be asked to vote on haven’t been announced, but they have a wide range of options open to them, ranging from a full-scale strike to work-to-
rule job action. Nancy Knickerbocker of the BCTF said the vote was postponed to match the pace of the government’s efforts to pass its back-to-work legislation. The provincial legislature is still debating Bill 22, which will suspend all teachers’ job actions, impose a cooling-off period and set stiff fines for any illegal strike. The Labour Relations Board has ruled teachers can legally strike one day a week until the back-to-work legislation is passed, but they must give 48-hour notice. See SCHOOL, page A4
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