The Chilliwack
Progress Thursday
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Pennies
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Chiefs
Chilliwack says good-bye to the penny.
Hitchcock meets the hilarious.
Tired Chiefs fall to Express.
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Parents support early French immersion, says report
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Alina Konevski The Progress
Chilliwack parents overwhelmingly support starting an early French immersion program in elementary schools, according to the Early French Immersion Feasibility Study presented to the school board on Tuesday. But there are serious practical challenges to setting up the program. Of those interviewed for the study, 82 per cent – the vast majority parents – voted ‘yes’ to a program that introduces students to French immersion in kindergarten or Grade 1. This would likely replace the current late French immersion (LFI) program which begins at Grade 6. The study, conducted from Oct. 2012 to Jan. 2013, evaluated the community interest, infrastructure requirements, and alignment to existing policies, of an early French immersion (EFI) program. Independent consultant Nancy Brennan, from Make A Future, the recruitment arm of BC Public School Employers’ Association, led the study. One component was a self-selected public survey, which was available on the school district website Dec. 4–21. 377 people replied. Respondents were 92 per cent parents, and represented all elementary schools. Parents who supported the program often had personal experience with French immersion, valued the career advancement it would provide, believed the additional learning challenge would be welcome, and that it would attract students to the district. 68 per cent of survey respondents replied that they would move their kids to another school in the district for EFI. Parents who opposed the program, however, were concerned that it would take funds away from other core programs; that French was not the most appropriate second language to offer to students; that there would be a negative impact on English learning; and, that the district might not find qualified staff. Even those who supported the program were unsure whether before- and after-school supervision would be available, which school would be selected, and whether there would be transportation. Continued: FRENCH/ p5
Chelsea DesLauriers of Surrey competes in the Classical Ballet En-Pointe Solo division during the 66th annual Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Thursday. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
No let up in chlorination debate Jennifer Feinberg The Progress
Debate is still percolating about the chlorination of Chilliwack’s drinking water. The decision was made last week to add a secondary disinfectant to the water system for the growing community, on the heels of three incidents of E.coli detected in hillside water reservoirs since 1998. “It’s really about public safety and trying to do what’s right for everybody,” said Dr. Marcus Lem, medical health officer for Fraser Health. He is the official with statutory power under the B.C. Drinking Water Protection Act to order
city officials to turn on the chlorination system permanently in Chilliwack. He and Mayor Sharon Gaetz have been in the news for having a difference of opinion about the prospect of chlorination. “I am a doctor. I don’t make the laws. I enforce them,” he said. Fraser Health has tried to work with the city to resolve the problem of E.coli contamination in the water from fecal matter of warm-blooded animals, but the organisms were present more than once in the past several years. “It comes down to a question of how long can you con-
tinue to be drinking poo in your water,” he said. The question of health concerns came up. What about health side effects from chlorinated water? “There are almost none, especially for Chilliwack,” Lem said. Because Chilliwack has an underground source of drinking water, and not a surface source, there are no organic or plant-based materials present to react with the disinfectant to create by-products, like a chemical taste and smell. “I have no health concerns for Chilliwack, although I know the mayor does,” he said. There are “no appreciable”
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risks in this case, when it comes to drinking water treated with a secondary disinfectant like chlorine, Lem told the Progress. The amounts of disinfectant will be so small as to not likely affect the award-winning taste and smell, the doctor said. “The chlorine that’s left in the water by the time it reaches tap is literally a drop in a bucket,” Lem said. Communities with a surface water supply have more to worry about. But the majority of Chilliwackians making their views known are not convinced.
on the purchase or lease of any new GM vehicle.
Continued: DEBATE/ p6