Honey Bees are coming to town 3 February 5, 2014
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GROOVIN’ AT FAMILY FEST
Canucks alumni face off on local ice 21
Celebrate BC Family Day 14
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Gaven Crites photo
Four-year-old Brooklyn Robinson, right, and her brother, Kai, 8, sat front row for a concert by award-winning musician Norman Foote. Children and parents packed the gym at the 100 Mile House Junior Secondary for Family Fest, on Feb. 2. The event was organized by Cariboo Chilcotin Partners for Literacy with funding by WelcomeBC. See more photos in the Jan. 7 edition of the Cariboo Connector.
Education bill struck down Teachers’ union triumphs on class size, special needs
Carole Rooney Free Press
The BC Supreme Court has once again ruled the B.C. Liberal government’s education legislation, which removed teachers' provincial bargaining rights for class size and composition, is unconstitutional. Justice Susan Griffin has restored collective agreement provisions stripped in 2002, and ordered the provincial government to pay $2 million in damages, plus court costs. In her ruling, Griffin concluded that government “did not negotiate with the union in good faith” after
her 2011 decision on Bill 28, and “Government never tries to proseized an opportunity to gain politi- voke a strike. Nobody wants a strike. cal support and impose And, I believe we always legislation. negotiate in good faith.” “One of the problems was British Columbia the government represenTeachers’ Federation presitatives were preoccupied dent Jim Iker said he was with another strategy, said “very happy” about the rulGriffin. ing. “Their strategy was to put “This is the end of a long such pressure on the union and costly legal battle for Donna that it would provoke a the teachers of B.C. It’s a Barnett strike by the union.” great day for democracy Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA and for all working people Donna Barnett said she doesn't across B.C. and Canada.” believe either side wanted to see last Iker added the ruling returns the fall’s job action. contract language to where it was in
2002, before Bill 28 removed provisions for smaller classes, support for special needs students, and services from teacher-librarians, counsellors and other specialists. In 2011, Griffin declared Bill 28 was unconstitutional, Iker noted, and she gave government one year to rectify the situation. Instead, the B.C. Liberal government reintroduced the same unconstitutional provisions, Iker explained. NDP education critic Rob Fleming said the ruling is “a real blow” to the B.C. Liberals’ credibility. Continued on 3