WEDNESDAY
January 14 2015
Vol. 106 No. 03
OPINION 10
Rossiter remembered STATE OF THE ARTS 17
Re-Calculating disabilityy SPORTS 19
Fisky business There’s more online at
vancourier.com MIDWEEK EDITION
THE VOICE of VANCOUVER NEIGHBOURHOODS since 1908
Student recognized for defending home Cop awarded for saving suicidal woman Mike Howell
mhowell@vancourier.com
GREAT OUTDOORS Vancouver-based Hatchicks player Tanya Durman warms up with her teammates during this past weekend’s Apex Shootout hockey tournament. The annual outdoor tourney attracts a colourful cast of characters of all abilities. See story on page 8. PHOTO REBECCA BLISSETT
Motion to extend moratorium on school closures nixed Cheryl Rossi
crossi@vancourier.com
Vision Vancouver trustee Mike Lombardi’s motion to extend a moratorium on school closures until December 2018 failed to pass at a school board meeting Monday evening. NPA trustees and the Green Party of Vancouver’s trustee Janet Fraser opposed the motion. The NPA said in the lead-up to the November civic election that it wouldn’t close neighbourhood schools. NPA incumbent trustee Fraser Ballantyne said last April, however, the board could have closed five schools instead of digging so deeply into its reserve fund to balance its budget.
“The parties had campaigned on that and we thought it was important to send a clear signal to the public and parents, especially, about the position of the Vancouver School Board,” Lombardi said regarding why he proposed the motion. “It was not enough to have positions of political parties. It was now time for the corporate body to make it very clear and send a signal.” The former Vision-dominated board pledged not to close schools in 2011. The board had considered closing five school sites in 2010 to the consternation of many parents. Lombardi says once parents learned in 2010 that the board would save less than $1 million by closing all five school sites, parents argued closing schools would be unacceptable.
Lombardi said the board wouldn’t have saved money on salaries for teachers and other staff, who would have been shifted elsewhere. The Vancouver School Board faces a recently revised budget shortfall of $15 million for 2015-2016. Overall enrolment in Vancouver public schools had been declining for years, although enrolment is swiftly increasing in certain parts of the city. Fraser wrote on her Facebook page that she doesn’t want to close any school to VSB student enrolment, but she also doesn’t believe a four-year moratorium is appropriate at this time of continued budget pressures. Continued on page 5
Note to would-be thieves: Don’t mess with Cory Wong. Who’s Cory Wong? He’s a 13-year-old boy, who stands five-foot-two, weighs 80 pounds and is not afraid to use the family’s home phone as a weapon to whack a thief on the head enough times to force a retreat. That’s what the Grade 8 Killarney secondary student did on the afternoon of Sept. 3, 2013 when a man got halfway into a second-floor window before Wong let him have it. He was home babysitting his nine-year-old sister at the time. “I rushed to him and just smashed him in the head many times, like right near the eye,” said Wong, pointing to his temple. Wong, who was 12 at the time, walloped the intruder with such force that batteries dropped from the phone and the man, believed to be in his early 20s, dropped to the ground and ran off. Wong had phoned his mom before the man broke into the house. Once he fended him off, he and his sister armed themselves with sticks until police arrived. He gave them a description and police were able to obtain DNA evidence from the scene. Police continue to search for the man. The articulate youngster told his story to reporters Thursday after Police Chief Jim Chu presented Wong with a Certificate of Merit for his bravery. The award was one of many given to citizens and police officers at the Vancouver Police Department’s annual ceremony held at the Roundhouse Community Centre. “I just felt like I was about to explode with happiness,” Wong said of being notified he would receive an award. “I didn’t know that what I did would get this award.” Wong’s dad, Chuck, stood by as his son fielded questions from a throng of reporters. He described that day as being dramatic and scary for a parent. Continued on page 4
DYSLEXIA DIDN’T STOP ALBERT. We don’t let dyslexia or language-related learning disabilities affect our students, either. They learn differently, and we offer them an education in a setting where they can thrive. See for yourself at the Fraser Academy Open House: Thursday, Feb. 5, 9:30-11:15am. For more info or to RSVP, visit www.fraseracademy.ca or call 604 736 5575. © Estate of Yousuf Karsh