Fire fight Spate of human-caused blazes keep crews busy around Nanaimo. Page 7 election watch Candidates discuss their parties’ plans for health care. Page 17 Spring song Island Bel Canto singers perform annual concert. Page 3
Clippers must win Page B1
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THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2013
VOL. 25, NO. 1
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Teachers derail two-week break Union and school trustees fail to reach agreement on monetary compensation for longer school days for the same pay and would lose five days’ opportunity to work and prep-providing specialist Students and staff in Nanaimo teachers at the elementary level, school district will only have such as music and French teachone week off at spring break next ers, would lose a week’s pay. year. “If they are expecting people While the school board voted to still work the same, then they unanimously in March to extend should still be compensated the next year’s break to two weeks same,” said Green. to save about $400,000, this The union has calculated the move needed the cost of compenapproval of the sating certain Nanaimo District members at more Teachers’ Assothan $100,000 and ciation because it the membership would have meant gave the execuchanging teachers’ tive direction to hours of work, as submit a counterminutes are added if they are proposal for the on to each school board’s considerday to make up for expecting people ation Tuesday, he the extra week off. to still work the said. At Monday’s “We’ll send it in business commit- same, then they and see what they tee meeting to dissay,” said Green. cuss next year’s should still be But Jamie Brenbudget, trustees compensated the nan, school board learned that the chairman, said the union rejected the same. board is not in a district’s final offer position to receive regarding the calendar change. any more offers, as Monday was Justin Green, NDTA president, the deadline. said the union called a special He said the union’s proposal meeting Monday so that mem- would greatly reduce the savbers could discuss the offer, ings of the extra week off, which details of which he wouldn’t talk was the idea behind doing it in about except to say it included the first place, and it was felt that monetary compensation but compensating teachers is unfair “not nearly enough” to offset the to support workers, who will all loss of pay for certain members. lose a week’s pay because they He said teachers-on-call would are paid hourly. be working more minutes per day u See ‘BOARD’ /10 By Jenn m c garrigle THe NewS BULLeTiN
CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
Fresh fish
Georgina Fosker, fish culturist with the Vancouver Island Trout Hatchery, releases 1,000 catchable size rainbow trout in Westwood Lake. Fosker and other fish culturists also distributed 2,000 trout among Green, Long and Diver lakes Monday. The fish are raised by the Freshwater Fisheries Society of B.C. to stock local lakes and promote sport fishing. For more information, please visit the society website at www.gofishbc.com.
Nurses worried staff changes will affect care By ToBy gorman THe NewS BULLeTiN
A change in how three levels of health care staff provide care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital has the British Columbia Nurses’ Union worried about what future roles will be for nurses, and how patients will be affected. Last week, the Vancou-
ver Island Health Authority advised NRGH staff and physicians through a letter that ongoing care delivery model redesign, initiated in 2008, would be taking its next step, which includes changing the composition of care teams that serve patients in the medicine, surgery, rehabilitation and transition units at the hospital.
Quality & Service at Budget Prices Wisecrack Of The Week
When was the last time you did something for the first time?
According to VIHA, out of the seven units at NRGH where changes are being made, three units will have more staff, two will remain the same and two units will have fewer staff. The nurses union, however, argues that there will be fewer registered and licensed practical nurses and more care aides. u See ‘CARE’ /4
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