THURSDAY MAY 23, 2013
< Best job in the world
College of the Rockies grad finalist in contest | Page 5
now oPEn
Volleyball teams win medals >
Join the League! 489-1282
East Kootenay club scores at nationals | Page 9
1
$ 10 INCLUDES G.S.T.
Vol. 61, Issue 98
Proudly serving Cranbrook and area since 1951
www.dailytownsman.com
Rainy days ahead
It’s monsoon season, says meteorologist; Cranbrook could see 40 millimetres of rain Thursday, 25 millimetres Friday SALLY MACDONALD Townsman Staff
The rain is coming down and the rivers are rising as the East Kootenay is hit with a weather wallop. A cold low pressure system has settled over southern B.C. and Alberta and it’s sending lots of rain our way, says Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist. “It’s really wet in your area. You are the part of the province that’s going to get a significant dump in the next two days,” he told the Townsman Wednesday morning. “There is a really big concern for the East Kootenay to get rain wrapping around from Alberta, particularly in the Elk Valley.” Cranbrook and Kimberley can ex-
pect 30 to 40 millimetres of rain by Thursday morning, then up to another 25 millimetres of rain into Friday. Fernie and Sparwood were forecast to receive 20 to 30 millimetres on Wednesday night, then 15 millimetres on Thursday and up to 35 millimetres on Friday. “You will probably get snow in the higher terrain in your area as it cools off over the next couple of days,” Lundquist warned. All that moisture is coming from a big low-pressure system that is sitting over Washington. “It’s like a pin wheel. There are spokes of moisture that rotate around those upper lows,” said Lundquist.
See RAINFALL, Page 4
Cranbrook teachers win round in legal fight JANE T STEFFENHAGEN Vancouver Sun
STEWART WILSON PHOTO
Joe Pierre, Aboriginal education enhancement agreement facilitator for School District 5, visited Gordon Terrace Elementary, where he told native stories to students in all the primary classes in celebration of National Aboriginal Week. His busy day began with raising the tipi, assisted by students in Mrs. Grady’s Grade 3/4 class. During the morning and early afternoon children were treated to stories while sitting inside the tipi. Mr. Wilson’s grade 3 class helped take down the tipi at the end of the day.
Teachers who wore campaign buttons to school five years ago and posted political messages on classroom doors were exercising their right to free expression in a way that did not detract from their students’ education, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled Tuesday. The protest in Southeast Kootenay district before the 2008 civic election and the 2009 provincial election was limited and restrained, the court said in rejecting an arbitrator’s finding in 2011 that students need to be insulated from political, though non-partisan, messages about class size, school closures and special education. “There was no evidence in this case of any actual or potential harm to students from being exposed to the
materials about educational issues, nor any facts from which an inference of harm could be drawn,” Madam Justice Risa Levine says in a 3-0 ruling that sided with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) in a long-running, multi-faceted legal battle with public-school employers over freedom of expression in schools. “Open communication and debate about public, political issues is a hallmark of the free and democratic society the Charter is designed to protect. Children live in this diverse and multicultural society, and exposing them to diverse societal views and opinions is an important part of their educational experience.” BCTF president Susan Lambert said the decision was not unexpected given that the union has won similar cases.
See PROTEST , Page 3
Caldwell Agencies
290 Wallinger Avenue, Kimberley ❘ 250-427-2221 ❘ www.caldwellagencies.com
The Hometown Experts with a World of Experience®