Wednesday February 27, 2013 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST IncLuDeD
Highway plans skip bridge Salmon river: Citizens push for improvements to narrow crossing. By martha Wickett OBSeRveR STAFF
Replacement of the Salmon River Bridge is a top priority for residents, according to what Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure staff were told Feb. 20. The ministry held an open house in Salmon Arm, where plans for the Trans-canada Highway were outlined. Plans for the west end of town include four-laning a two-kilometre stretch of highway from 10th Street SW to 30th Street SW. It would entail an upgrade to three intersections, construction of two new intersections, and 1.4 kilometres of new frontage roads. The project status is listed as “currently in design.” The plans do not include a bridge replacement, which was put forward as a priority by residents concerned both about a potential bottleneck from the four-laning, as well as the potential for damage from a severe flood. Mike Lorimer, Southern Interior regional director of MOTI, said more than 100 people attended the open house, most who were in favour of the fourlaning, and most who mentioned the bridge. “We definitely heard from folks at the open house, the bridge is front and centre for the community.” He said the bulk of the funds available for highway improvements have not been allocated. The province has committed $650 million over the next 10 years for future widening of the Trans-canada Highway, and the work in Salmon Arm is one of seven projects that will make up $140 million of the $650 million. The province is also seeking contributions from the federal government. “We know what our engineers and planners are saying the next priorities are, but without talking to people in the community who drive the road every day… It’s definitely not set in stone and even those seven projects we’re talking about, with the exception of a couple of them which are very well advanced, on the other five, we want feedback.” Along with open houses and meetings with local
JameS murray/OBSeRveR
Safe: Kameron Kriese finds solace in the basement of his home, gaming and chatting with online friends.
A target of bullying
Pink Shirt Day: Kameron Kriese speaks out about dealing with ridicule and aggression as part of the Observer’s commitment to raising awareness of the damaging effects of bullying. By Barb Brouwer OBSeRveR STAFF
Kameron Kriese sits in a dark, cavelike room in the basement of his home, gaming or “chatting” with one of his online friends. This safe space and his computer comprise a lifeline for the young teen who has, more than once, expressed the desire to get sick and die so people will say nice things about him. Life has never been easy for the 14-year-old who, at age seven, was diagnosed with a complex set of disorders – adolescent bipolar, anxiety and ADHD. Kam knows better than most that while they can’t break your bones, words can destroy your spirit. In Grade 9 part time, Kam has never been able to attend school full time
and, with support from a learning assistant, re-entered the regular school system in Grade 7. But the school experience is not what he, or his mother Monica hoped it would be – he has no friendships to speak of, there are no dances or parties, no trips to the movies, no friends calling or visiting. Intelligent and articulate, Kam is the victim of bullying by a group of seven or eight classmates – a group who make fun of him, taunt, mock and push him around at every opportunity. He is ridiculed and told to shut up when he puts his hand up to answer a question. “I am an intelligent person and that has caused problems with other kids,” says Kam with a grimace, admitting that the comment, “learning assistants are for retards,” is one he has heard
more than once. Asked how he feels when kids call him crazy, Kam shrugs his shoulders and says he’s heard a lot worse. “Some of them just call me plain old f– retard,” he says. Physically, he has been kicked in the back by a young female student, pushed into a locker and punched in the head three times by another – all since the new semester started in February. Kam says his teacher has defended him several times and the bullying is mostly confined to the classroom because the hallways are too open to the watchful eyes of other teachers. And aside from having food thrown at him by a boy who used to be a friend, the cafeteria seems to be a safe See Schools on page A3
See Citizens on page A2
This week ’Backs defeat Vipers but face big challenges if they are to make the playoffs. See A19. Emerson Drive and Doc Walker take to the stage at the Shaw Centre on March 7. See A13.
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .................. A7 Life & Times ............... A8 Arts & Events ... A11-A13 Sports............... A17-A21 Time Out................... A22 Vol. 106, No. 9, 40 pages