Colourful fun at Vasaikhi Parade page 5
Final instalment for oil tanker series page 3 A Black Press special series
Tuesday April 24, 2012 Serving Surrey and North Delta www.surreyleader.com
Educators ordered to issue secondterm report cards
Teachers vote to halt after-school activities
Faces
of courage
by Jeff Nagel PUBLIC SCHOOL teachers have voted 73 per cent in favour of withdrawing extracurricular activities provincewide to intensify pressure on the provincial government in the continuing labour dispute. The vote of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) could affect everything from high school graduation ceremonies to upcoming sports events. Meanwhile, a decision of B.C.’s Labour Relations Board has ordered unionized teachers prepare Susan Lambert to second-term report cards immediately, something some had resisted as part of job action. The ruling gives teachers until April 27 to have them ready. Public school teachers briefly went on a limited strike in March until the provincial government passed Bill 22, legislating them back to work
“Teachers struggle with this because these activities bring so much joy to our engagement with students.”
See VOTE / Page 3
Seven women share their stories of domestic violence to show others there is a way to move forward after abuse
PHOTO BY BETHANY
Monica is one of several survivors of domestic violence being profiled by the Surrey Women’s Centre to mark National Victims of Crime Awareness Week (April 22-28). Each day, a different woman’s journey will be posted on the centre’s website (www. surreywomencentre.ca) to raise awareness of the services available to victims. by Sheila Reynolds
I
t wasn’t that Rick didn’t seem like a good catch. He was charming and smart and handsome – everything a woman might want in a man. But Monica, a college graduate, was very passionate about her career as a broadcaster. She wasn’t interested in a relationship with him or anyone. “I never thought about marriage, ever.” Rick (not his real name) wanted her though. He pursued her for two-and-a-half years, bringing her flowers, cards and even sending his friends around to convince her to be with him. The more she pushed him away, the harder he fought to win her heart. During a heated argument one night, she told
If you or someone you know needs help, call the 24-hour crisis line at Surrey Women’s Centre at 604-583-1295 him she didn’t want to see him again. Rick drove off on his motorcycle and was seriously injured in a crash. He had, it turned out, intentionally sped into a wall. Monica decided to give the relationship a try. “I thought, ‘if somebody loves me so much...’ “ The two were married in 1997. Monica was 21. Her dad didn’t come to the wedding, saying he had a bad feeling about the union. The couple’s first child, a beautiful baby girl,
Editorial 6 Letters 7 Classifieds 19
Mother’s Day contest!
Lookalike 2012
arrived shortly after, and while Monica wanted to return to work, her husband would find reasons to keep her at home. The insults also began, punctuated by regular slaps in the head. She was ugly, he’d tell her, making sure he chose the appropriate clothes for her to wear each day. Growing up in the picturesque Andaman Islands surrounded by white sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean, the darkness descending on Monica’s life was unimaginable. Within three years she was pregnant again. And though Monica would face three serious beatings before her son finally arrived, his birth brought some relief as it earned the young mom respect from family eager to welcome a male. See MONICA / Page 4
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Submit a photo of you and your mom to The Leader by Noon, Wed. May 2nd by email: contest@surreyleader.com Please include your first names in the photo plus your contact info in the email.
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