midweek edition WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2011
Vol. 102 No. 37 • Established 1908 • West
17 22 Premier shuns debate and attacks byelection opponent K&K’s Canucks playoff haiku Pulling for kids
Clark notes David Eby’s drug stance Mike Howell Staff writer
Today’s Vancouver-Point Grey byelection pits David Eby against Premier Christy Clark.
photos Dan Toulgoet
All political eyes will be on the byelection in VancouverPoint Grey today as Premier Christy Clark attempts to win a seat in the legislature to complete her political comeback. But standing in Clark’s way is the NDP’s David Eby and four other lesser known candidates who never got a chance to debate the recently crowned leader of the B.C. Liberal Party. “People who live in Vancouver-Point Grey are happy that I’ve taken almost all the time I’ve had available to campaign to speak to them because I think that’s important,” Clark told the Courier Monday after a press conference at a cancer centre on
West 10th Avenue where she announced free nicotine gum and patches to help British Columbians quit smoking. But, the premier added, she regrets not having time to debate Eby, who she accused of taking “really extreme positions” on some issues that she doesn’t believe represent voters in the riding. “His positions on pornography, on polygamy and on making hard drugs legal are fringe,” said Clark, who has held her own meetings and telephone “town halls” instead of attending candidates’ debates. Clark’s campaign is driven by a “families-first” agenda that includes increasing the minimum wage, building a green economy and funding community groups. See EBY on page 4
School board mulls popular Montessori program expansion Possible Renfrew site may help shorten waiting lists Naoibh O’Connor Staff writer The Vancouver school district will consider expanding its Montessori program to a third school— potentially Renfrew elementary as of September 2012—at an education and student services com-
mittee meeting Wednesday. Senior staff drafted the recommendation after several years of consultation about how to develop Montessori in Vancouver. It’s so popular at the elementary school level that both schools offering it have waiting lists. In September 2011, Maple Grove
registered 75 kindergarten students on its waiting list and 80 Grade 1 students, while Tyee recorded 107 kindergarten students on its waiting list and 119 Grade 1 students. Montessori is an educational philosophy founded by Maria Montessori, an Italian physician
and educator, in the early 1900s. The education system stresses the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to learning, grouping students of different ages, and encouraging kids to seek out subjects that interest them. Renfrew elementary, the pro-
posed third site, is located at 3315 East 22 Ave. near Rupert Street. Valerie Overgaard, associate superintendent of learning services, says the East Side school has room to add a Montessori program while maintaining a regular program. See DISTRICT on page 4
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