Tribune
WEEKEND Friday MARCH 30, 2012
bcclassified.com
‘Never give up on your dreams’
Rick Hansen honoured at monument unveilling..........Page A2
VOL. 23 NO. 13
REACHING 10,675 HOMES WEEKLY
Jago named as mediator in teacher dispute Tom Fletcher Black Press
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Two men who share the determination to make the most of life while making a difference chatted briefly on Monday afternoon after the official unveiling of the Rick Hansen monument at the Tourism Discovery Centre. Kane Fraser and his family — wife Cara and their twin daughters Lily and Alora — posed with former hometown resident Rick Hansen (right) in front of the monument honouring him and his Man in Motion world tour. The phrase on the monument says “Never give up on your dreams.” Fraser, who recently lived one of his dreams by competing and finishing in the Baja 1000, is obviously continuing through life as a subscriber to that inspiring message. Fraser, who was injured 13 years ago, chose the Baja 1000 as his first competitive race and decided to fundraise, with a goal of raising $25,000 for the Rick Hansen Foundation in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Rick Hansen Man in Motion World Tour. Liz Twan photo
Former University of Northern B.C. president Charles Jago has been appointed to mediate the dispute between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the bargaining agent for the province’s 60 school districts. Education Minister George Abbott announced Jago’s appointment Wednesday. Abbott said his staff inquired about two senior judges suggested by the BCTF as possible mediators for the long-running dispute, but both are still serving and are not available. Abbott said Jago is bound to seek a settlement within the terms of the government’s “net zero” wage mandate, which has been the basis for 130 settlements with public sector unions. But other than that, Jago has a “quite unrestricted mandate” to find common ground in other issues. Jago’s mandate is defined by the legislation passed to end the BCTF strike and work-to-rule action and impose a six-month cooling-off period. It includes class size and composition, the division of issues between local and provincial bargaining, teacher performance evaluation, “alignment of professional development with teaching needs” and “scheduling and selection of teachers suited to student needs.” Jago has until the end of June to work with the union and the employers’ association, and then he is to make recommendations for a settlement whether there is agreement or not.
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The legislation requires that a two-year contract be put in place from the expiry of the earlier contract last spring to June, 2013. In a conference call from Prince George, Jago said he is hopeful he can make progress if both sides are willing to work on solutions. Even a two-year freeze on total compensation leaves room to find money for wage increases, he said. Jago said he was involved with faculty negotiations at UNBC and a previous university post in Ontario, but he has no previous experience as a mediator. He is being paid $2,000 a day, which Abbott said is a standard rate for mediators in large labour disputes. BCTF president Susan Lambert told reporters the union will participate in the mediation, but she is concerned about Jago’s lack of labour relations experience, and also two donations of $500 each Jago made to the B.C. Liberal Party. Jago said the payments were on behalf of a golf foursome that took part in two party fundraising tournaments, for which he was reimbursed by other players. His policy as a university president was not to donate to any political party, he said. Lambert also questioned a report on education Jago wrote for the government-appointed B.C. Progress Board in 2006. That report recommended closer interaction between secondary schools and post-secondary institutions, with “priority attention” to promoting trades training.