Royal City Record January 22 2014

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N E W

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014

W E S T M I N S T E R

INSIDE TODAY: Freud’s Last Session P9

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City pitches in on new school A downtown development will help fund enhancements to the future École Qayqayt Elementary School. City council has approved an amenity contribution of $115,337 from the developer of The Elliot to fund enhancements to the fence, pathway and playground at the new elementary school being built downtown. “These improvements will benefit the future residents of The Elliot, residents in the downtown and particularly the future students at the elementary school,” said a staff report. The funds will be used to provide pathways between the lower play area, the upper play terrace and the parking ($40,000), to provide landscaping enhancements to the school yard play areas ($35,000), and to upgrade a chainlink fence around the childcare play area and kindergarten play area ($30,000 to $35,000). The contributions will also help fund a proposed public art/commemorative feature, such as a welcoming pole in honour of the Qayqayt nation, and/or an installation that would commemorate St. Mary’s Hospital’s long history on the school site. “It’s right there in the neighbourhood,” said Coun. Betty McIntosh. “The park was to be developed anyhow. Once the new residents are there, it will be ideal to walk over there.” The Elliot development at 188 Agnes St. contains 121 units in an 18-storey tower and townhouses. – By Theresa McManus, staff reporter

For more info on city schools, scan with Layar Jennifer Gauthier/THE RECORD

Work underway: Construction of the new École Qayqayt Elementary is underway in New Westminster. The city has approved funding to enhance fencing, pathways and playground areas at the school site located in downtown New Westminster on the old St. Mary’s Hospital site.

PARENTS CALL FOR RESIGNATIONS AND AMALGAMATION WITH BURNABY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Province steers clear of parents vs board fight BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER

nhope@royalcityrecord.com

The minister of education has no plans to kick New Westminster school district trustees off the board of education and have the province take over managing the district until the November election, despite a call from angry parents. Peter Fassbender said his ministry is working with the district to get its fiscal house in order, and he expects it will have paid off its $5-million deficit by June 2019.

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“What’s really important is that we continue to work with the duly elected board to make sure that the issues that they are facing are being addressed in a proper way,” Fassbender told The Record. “We support what the board is doing at the moment to manage their resources, to eliminate the deficit they have and to minimize – and this is the critical element for us – the impact on students and staff and the parents in the school district.” A reported 100 people turned up at New Westminster Secondary School’s library for

the parent advisory council meeting on Jan. 16 to discuss the district’s dire budget situation and how it will impact students. The frustrated parents voted for trustees to resign, for the province to intervene in the district and to look into the possibility of amalgamating with Burnaby. The parent council sent a letter to Fassbender on Monday, outlining itsrequests. “I also have heard the request from the group, and like everything, I need to look at the whole picture, not only one component

of it, and we’re going to ensure that stability is the first issue,” he said. The parent council sent a letter to the district on Monday as well, calling for it to provide all the information parents need to make decisions for the next school year, including the high school’s projected operating budget and details on programs that would be cut. As well, they called for a “preliminary exploration of the feasibility of amalgamation with the Burnaby school ◗Fassbender Page 4

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