Vol. 26 No. 70
Your community. Your newspaper.
Elementary and secondary teachers across the province will begin “teach-only” job action when school starts Tuesday. They will continue teaching in classrooms, but they will not perform administrative tasks such as filling out forms, collecting money and attending staff meetings, explained Steve Stanley, president of the Comox District Teachers’ Association (CDTA). “Off the bat, we don’t believe students or parents will notice much difference,” he said. Ninety per cent of teachers voted yes in a provincewide strike vote conducted in late June after their collective agreement expired. Negotiations between the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) didn’t get far, and this Wednesday, the BCTF filed strike notice to take effect Sept. 6 at 7 a.m. Phase One of job action means that teachers will not be performing administrative tasks such as filling out forms, collecting data, meeting with principals or other administrators, supervising on playgrounds, or writing report cards, according to the BCTF. “Teachers’ attention will be totally focused on the students in their classrooms and not on the many bureaucratic and administrative tasks that take away from the joy of teaching and learning,” BCTF president Susan Lambert said in a news release, adding that teachers will be in close communication with parents if the need arises. There are no restrictions on extra-curricular activities such as volunteering to coach school teams, and teacher who want to be involved will continue to be involved, explained Stanley. Stanley is unclear about field trips, though, noting that trips during the day are fine, but there
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are still forms to be filled out and funds to be collected, so it would require some creativity. “Our job action is not designed to punish students or take things away from them,” he said. “It may just look different. There will be lots of these good things happening.” If an agreement hasn’t been reached by November, there might not be any report cards, but teachers are obliged to communicate with parents, and parents will still be able to ask questions about their children’s progress, explained Stanley, adding there would still be a meet-the-teacher event, but it would be restricted to the regular working day. Although negotiations began in March, to date there has been absolutely no progress in bargaining, according to the BCTF’s release. “Government continues to come empty-handed to the table, persisting with their sub-zero mandate,” said Lambert. “Government spending decisions are a question of priorities, and we believe children should be the No. 1 priority.” Lambert called on Education Minister George Abbott and Premier Christy Clark to send their negotiators back to the bargaining table with a new mandate to achieve a negotiated settlement that will meet the needs of students and teachers alike. During a conference call with Vancouver Island media Tuesday afternoon, Abbott did not express any optimism about negotiations between the BCPSEA and the BCTF. At the request of the BCTF, there was a suspension of meetings from late July to Aug. 23, but the parties have been at the table since Aug. 23, he explained. “There has not been any appreciable progress at the table,” said Abbott. “The parties remain far apart. The BCTF has said they will withdraw their participation
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ARTISANS’ FEST
UP UP AND AWAY Don Booth, winner of the 2009 Krazy Kar Rally of the United Way raffle, listens to pre-flight instructions from pilot Ed MacDonald at the Comox Valley Airport. Booth’s prize was a flight in an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, a high-performance jet plane. PHOTO BY ERIN HALUSCHAK
Carless Comox called off Erin Haluschak Record Staff
Bikes will be rolling in abundance along the streets of Cumberland and Courtenay Sept. 25, but not so much in Comox, as the inaugural Car Free Sunday has been cancelled in the town. The event — which was scheduled from 1 to 5 p.m. in the three Valley municipalities — will not take place in Comox, despite support from council, organizer Andrew Gower announced in a press release Thursday morning. “... Some of the downtown business owners were very opposed and quite confrontational over the idea,” he stated in the release. “With the limited time remaining before Sept. 25, we simply do not have the time to win over the business owners and organize a fun, inclusive event.”
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He noted the real disappointment will obviously be with the many residents of Comox who were excited and looking forward to the event. Gower added in a phone interview he wasn’t completely surprised by the reaction of the Comox Business In Action, and admitted he thought there might be some resistance. “I heard some concerns and respect them, but I’m not sure if they’re totally valid. There was a sense of some hostility ... but it’s a matter of timing. We want to show that it’s a good event but we don’t have much time, and thought our energy would be better used for the other two locations,” he said. “We’re running out of time, and it makes sense to ensure the other two events are big successes.” Tia Otter, president of the
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Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens provides a unique setting for an outdoor show such as this weekend’s three-day, ninth annual Artisans’ Festival. Located just off the Old Island Highway north of Courtenay, the 23-acre Gardens are a popular attraction and have won international acclaim. This weekend’s festival runs Saturday and sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 6183 Whitaker Rd.
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PURCHASE FINANCING S ON MANY MODEL
Offer available to retail customers in Canada between September 1, 2011 & October 31, 2011. Limited quantities of 2011 models avaiable. See dealer for details. 0% purchase financing offered on approved credit by Ally Credit for 48 months on 2011 Chevrolet/GMC/Buick Aveo, Equinox, Terrain, Traverse, Acadia, Enclave, 24 months on Cruze, 72 months on Malibu and 60 months on Impala. Rates from other lenders will vary. See dealer for details.
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Teachers’ job action beginning Tuesday Lindsay Chung
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