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Volume 64, No. 23
Thursday, June 7, 2012
$1.00 (plus HST)
Local teachers protest SD8 cuts to staff
Services tackle abuse challenges BY LORNE ECKERSLEY Advance Staff
TODAY'S WEATHER
“We know what needs to be done. The challenge is to do it.” With those words, the Ending Violence Association BC (EVABC) summarizes findings in a report called Violence Against Women and Their Children in BC: 33 Years of Recommendations. “Sexual and domestic violence cuts across all socio-economic lines and belongs to no one community,” say the report, written by Linda Light and released to the public in April. “And while this is true and much needs to be done across all sectors, each sector must also pay attention to the specific and unique needs of Aboriginal women, women who are immigrants or refugees, those living with disabilities, women with mental health or substance use issues, women living in poverty, transgendered women, etc. “We know that women who are marginalized need all the same protections and services that ‘mainstream’ women need (and these are many), but they often also need additional help, like special assistance to access services, services in their own language or language interpretation, material assistance such as affordable housing, information about their rights, increased advocacy to help them navigate the complex systems whose personnel may lack education and training on violence and the intersections of oppression.” Over the last three decades, the report says, a number of recurring themes have been identified as being critical in addressing the problem of violence against women and their children: •access to specialized support for women who experience violence; See LOCAL, page 36
This week's weather artist:
Logan Hammond, Erickson Elementary School
DISCOVERY REAL ESTATE
Local Expertise Global Network
BY LORNE ECKERSLEY Advance Staff
Angry at cuts to teaching positions that are out of proportion to the forecast drop in enrollment, Creston area school teachers and assistants turned out by the dozens on Tuesday to express their displeasure. About 60 School District No. 8 (Kootenay Lake) teaching staff gathered at the Creston Education Centre to await the arrival of board members and senior staff, who were holding their monthly board meeting. As meeting participants arrived in twos and threes they were greeted by placards and a largely silent group. Occasional calls of “You can do better” were heard. Some board members quietly greeted individual protesters and others walked through the group without acknowledging them. “We need more money,” vicechair Lenora Trenaman said. Supt. Jeff Jones stopped to talk to several groups and individuals before moving inside.
Lorne Eckersley photo
WORTHY CAUSE — The Creston Fiddlers (above) entertained the 79 partcipants who braved the rain for Saturday’s Relay for Life, the annual Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser, which was held in the Alex Nilsson Field. This year’s event, the 10th in Creston, raised about $31,000 for the society.
First novel by Deryn Collier released Page 3
There may
See ADMINISTRATION, page 5
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