WEDNESDAY
$1.25
inc. H.S.T.
April 11, 2012
A division of
Vol. 27 No. 29
COMOX VALLEY RECORD Your community. Your newspaper. www.comoxvalleyrecord.com
TOP PROSPECT ECT
Six taken to hospital after sevencar crash
Comox Valley Aquatic Club Sharks swimmer Brooke Lamoureux and her coach Albert Burgund were selected to the Prospects West Training Camp.
Record Staff
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AWARENESS
EMERGENCY PERSONNEL HAD their hands full dealing with this seven-vehicle crash Friday afternoon on the Inland Island Highway. PHOTO BY CTV VANCOUVER ISLAND
April is autism awareness month and I would like to share the story of my son Alden who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the age of three. Alden was a beautiful baby, with big brown eyes and a thick head of hair. I was a love-struck first time parent – full of pride and optimism for my baby boy, who met all of his developmental milestones right on cue. ... Complete story on ■ 3
FINDER ■ Weather
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■ Lottery
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■ Ferry Schedule
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■ Arts
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■ Sports
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■ Classified
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■ Editorial
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■ Opinion
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A total of 15 persons were involved in a seven-vehicle crash Friday around 1 p.m. south of Hamm Road on the Inland Island Highway. Oyster River Fire Chief Niels Holbek told media at the scene a couple of extrications were required in one vehicle. There were no serious injuries, confirmed the B.C. Ambulance Service. Although it was early in the investigation, Holbek said he believed the incident was a chain reaction-type accident. Six people were transported by ambulance to local hospitals — three to Campbell River and three to St. Joseph’s in Comox. All six appeared to have sustained minor injuries, though three of the patients required spinal immobilization.
NIC offering tuition-free ESL courses Record Staff English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are now tuition-free at North Island Colllege (NIC). The Ministry of Advanced Education announced Thursday that ESL courses at 17 post-secondary institutions in the province will now be government-funded. These programs provide language instruction at basic, intermediate and advanced levels to people whose first language is not English. These courses were free for new immigrants in the past, but now the province is extending the free tuition to ensure that everyone has access to the same opportunities as recent immigrants. With the announcement effec-
tive April 1, this means NIC domestic students who enrol in ESL courses during the spring/summer semester — beginning May 1 — will not have to pay tuition. NIC had 22 domestic students enrolled in ESL courses this past semester and the JAN LINDSAY college is hopeful that this number will increase given that tuition is no longer a barrier. “I am very pleased to see the government providing tuition support for immigrants and
Canadian citizens who require English language education,” said NIC president Dr. Jan Lindsay. “Fluency in English is essential for immigrants to be successful in finding employment and assimilating into Canadian culture.” Governmentfunded ESL courses are offered at these other public post-secondary institutions: Vancouver Island University, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Camosun Col-
lege, Capilano University, College of New Caledonia, College of the Rockies, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College, Northwest Community College, Northern Lights College, Okanagan College, Selkirk College, Thompson Rivers University, University of the Fraser Valley and Vancouver Community College. According to a Ministry of Advanced Education news release, these 17 public-post secondary institutions delivered ESL training for more than 8,800 domestic students during the 2010-11 academic year. The average full-time ESL domestic tuition was $2,300 at B.C.’s public post-secondary institutions in 2010-11.
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