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WEDNESDAY, April 30, 2014
NEWS BRIEFS Northern Health Nurses recognized Six Northern Health nurses have been recognized in the 2014 College of Registered Nurses in British Columbia (CRNBC). In total 36 awards were presented to nurses in B.C. in seven categories. The CRNBC website says the awards program is an opportunity to “honour colleagues for their outstanding contributions to the profession and demonstrating excellence in relation to the CRNBC Professional Standards for Registered Nurses and Nurse Practitioners.” “Northern Health staff, including our nurses, work hard every day to provide high quality care to northerners,” said Suzanne Johnston, Northern Health Vice President of Clinical Services and Chief Nursing Officer. “Having our staff recognized by the CRNBC is a big honour, and further shows the fantastic team of registered nurses working in northern B.C.” The Northern Health award winners are: Excellence in Nursing Administration l Val Waymark Regional Manager Community Care Facilities Licensing Public Health Protection - Prince George Excellence in Nursing Practice l Linda Keefe - Coordinator HIV / AIDS Prevention Program - Prince George l Barb Schuerkamp - Head Nurse - Tumbler Ridge Health Centre l Celia Evanson - Nurse Practitioner - Nak’azdli Health Centre l Leslie Murphy UHNBC Maternity Child Manager - Prince George Rising Star l Lisa Cox – Registered Nurse – Valemount Health Centre The award winners will be honoured at an event in Vancouver this September. Details about the CRNBC Awards of Excellence are available here: https://crnbc.ca/CRNBC/ AWARDS/EXCELLENCE/Pages/Default.aspx
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Playfair named new CNC Board Chair A new chair of CNC’s Board of Governors and a new vicechair were named at the college’s annual general meeting Friday. Keith Playfair won by acclamation as CNC’s new Board Chair after serving as vice-chair for regional campuses since April 2012. “I am honoured to be taking on this important role at CNC,” Playfair said. “We have a lot of work ahead and I am looking forward to ensuring that CNC continues to serve its communities and provide excellent education.” Playfair replaces Robert Murray, whose six year term on the board comes to an end on July 31. Murray,
who was first elected as board chair in 2011, also served a two-year term as vice-chair for regional campuses. “Bob has been a very dedicated and active board chair and he certainly leaves some big shoes to fill,” Playfair said. “We are looking forward to continuing his great work.” Murray said the board made an excellent choice in choosing Playfair as his replacement. “Keith has deep knowledge of the college and how it operates and his many years in forestry and as a business owner will greatly benefit the board and the college,” Murray said. Long-time Prince George Lawyer Lee Ongman also won by acclamation as Prince
On April 15 and 16, The District of Fort St. James hosted an Emergency Operations Centre Essentials course, with participants from Fort St. James, Nak’azdli, Fraser Lake, Quesnel, Nisga’a, and the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako. Participants learned the basics of emergency management. Left to right: Paul Mercer, Nicholette Prince and Emily Colombo. Photo courtesy of District of Fort St. James
George vice-chair of the board. “Lee is very intelligent and knowledgeable and always asks excellent questions,” Playfair said. “She will be even stron-
ger as vice-chair.” Ongman was first appointed to the board in March, 2012. She holds a law degree from UBC and has been an adjudicator for the Ca-
nadian Human Rights Tribunal and has served more than 12 years on the board of the Prince George Native Friendship Centre. Linda Smerychyn-
ski will leave her role as vice-chair Prince George to take on the vice-chair of regions role until her six year term on the board ends July 31.
Little movement as school strike starts By Jeff Nagel BC Local News The provincial government is so far holding off on a threat to try to force the B.C.Teachers’ Federation to pay $5 million a month to cover the cost of its members’ benefits in response to their limited job action. That possible financial weapon was broached earlier in the month by negotiators with the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association and Education Minister Peter Fassbender said it remains an option, particularly if the union escalates its tactics. “The BCTF has said they’re taking this action to put pressure on us,” Fassbender said Thursday in an interview. “We may need to add some commensurate pressure to the BCTF if we find we’re not getting any solid options from them.” The union has demanded pay hikes estimated at 13.5 per cent over three years, while the government has offered 6.5 per cent over the first six years of an intended 10-year deal. Fassbender said the BCTF has made some movement in negotiations, but not a significant amount. He expressed disappointment that despite continued talks the union opted Wednesday to begin its
first-stage strike action – restricting administrative duties and supervision of students outside of class time – a move that has prompted several rural districts to cancel recess. The BCPSEA had notified the union any strike action could trigger a call for it to cover health and welfare benefits for B.C.’s 40,000 teachers, estimated at $5 million a month. “I don’t want to inflict pain on anybody,” Fassbender said. “But there are tools available to government as there are to the union. “I don’t think we want to put out any threats but by the same token we need to ensure that we have stability in the classrooms. That’s our goal.” BCTF president Jim Iker said he doubts the Labour Relations Board would approve a request ordering the union to pay benefits, noting a similar effort to make the union pay 15 per cent of wages was denied in the last teachers’ strike. “We would see that as retaliatory and punitive for them to even think about or threaten that the union pay the cost of the benefits when teachers are in the classroom working as hard as they normally do with students,” Iker said. Iker said it is the government that has not moved much off its position, including a refusal to bargain smaller class sizes and more access to specialist
teachers. “Our hope is we can get this deal done by the end of June and not be going into September still at the bargaining table.” Overshadowing the labour dispute is last year’s B.C. Supreme Court ruling that the province must restore class size and composition to what existed in 2001. The province has appealed the decision, saying it would impose enormous costs and disrupt programs. Waiting until the fall for an appeal court ruling would be unfortunate, said Dan Laitsch, an associate education professor at SFU. “It really is kind of an all-or-nothing case,” Laitsch said. “They’re playing a fairly high stakes poker game because either side could lose big depending on the outcome of the appeal.” Ideally, he said, the two sides would recognize it’s too risky to wait and instead craft a settlement that doesn’t subject schools to a months-long strike action. Laitsch said budget shortfalls now surfacing at many districts mean the province will be under pressure to find more money for the school system regardless of the outcome of the teachers’ dispute.