ECONOMIST & SUN M A R K H A M
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LEARNING
City eyes cut to lunch-hour crossing guards Few head home for midday meal: mayor
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Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012
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Teachers protest over legislation Unions encourage members to wear black, stop coaching in wake of move by province to force contract By Teresa Latchford
tlatchford@yrmg.com
York Region teachers paused some voluntary activities in protest to a recently passed law. This week, the province passed
a bill that forces a contract on elementary and secondary teachers across Ontario as well as 50,000 support staff, including those in York Region, bypassing the traditional bargaining process.
In response, teacher unions encouraged members to wear black and take a pause from extracurricular activities such as school clubs and sports yesterday to protest the recent passing of the bill.
The York Region District School Board hasn’t cancelled any scheduled events, according to board spokesperson Licinio Miguelo. He See TEACHERS, page 32.
OLYMPICs revisited
By Amanda Persico
apersico@yrmg.com
Markham councillors were faced with a decision this week that some of them feared was pitting the bottom line against children’s safety. At this week’s general committee, city staff presented a report that calls for the review of lunchtime crossing guards at 37 of Markham’s 81 local schools. The city provides 81 schools with crossing guards who help students cross the road during the morning and after school periods. There are also 37 schools that have crossing guards during the lunch hour to help students who go home for lunch.
$12,000 per location It costs the city about $12,000 per location per year to have a crossing guard during all three times, while it costs a little more than half that to have a crossing guard during only the morning and afternoon periods, city traffic operations supervisor David Porretta said. Crossing guards for morning and after-school cost the city, on average, about $7,700 per location per year, which includes training, education, equipment and salary. Mr. Porretta’s request to review the need for lunch-hour crossing guards was met with some concern from council. “We can’t put a cost on one See PARENTS, page 16.
STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN
Markham Olympian Justyn Warner and his fiancée, Pickering’s Nikitta Holder, smile during a visit to Warner’s old school, Boxwood Public School, where they took part in a question and answer session with Grade 7 students on their London Olympic experiences.
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