Burns Lake Lakes District News, April 30, 2014

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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Volume 94 - No. 18

www.ldnews.net

$1.30 GST inc.

BURNS LAKE

LAKES DISTRICT NEWS

A call for action

Fraser Institute’s school rankings The academic rankings by the Fraser Institute for B.C. elementary and high schools have been released and three of the schools in Burns Lake rank amongst the lowest in the province

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Govt. makes a decision on Northern Gateway STEVEN MAISEY PHOTO

A stretch of highway along Hwy. 16 between Burns Lake and Smithers. Nine women have gone missing, or been murdered, along this 724 kilometre stretch of highway, between Prince Rupert and Prince George, while hitchhiking since 1989. That has led to Hwy. 16 to be referred to as the Highway of Tears.

NDP critics call for longwaited action along B.C.’s Highway of Tears STEVEN MAISEY A two day tour by two members of B.C.’s New Democrat party has reinforced the call for action along the Highway of Tears. Jennifer Rice, MLA for the North Coast and Maurine Karagianis, NDP critic for women’s issues spent two days last week touring Hwy 16, the 724 Kilometre stretch of highway from Prince Rupert to Prince George that has been labeled the Highway of Tears after several women turned up missing or murdered along the highway. The purpose of the tour was to highlight the need for alternate transportation for people in remote communities, specifically a shuttle bus for young women who have no other means of transportation but to hitchhike along the highway. The shuttle bus was one of many recommendations made towards the Liberal government at the 2006 Highway of Tears symposium, and was again reinforced during the Wally Oppal inquiry in 2012.

“The B.C. Liberal government agreed to implement all the recommendations from the inquiry. That was several years ago, and they’ve yet to take action,” Maurine Karagianis, NDP critic for women’s issues, said, “we determined that if we cam up here ourselves, drove the highway, had a first hand experience of the kind of isolation that the people experience up, that we could go back to the legislature next week and reinforce our call for justice.” Between the years of 1989-2006, nine women, most of aboriginal decent, turned up missing, or were murdered while hitchhiking along the highway. The recommendation of a shuttle bus along the highway was one of many made, in regard to safe public transportation during the 2006 symposium. This tour is also a reinforcement of the resolution put forth by the Town of Smithers’ Mayor, Taylor Bachrach in 2012. Bachrach put forward a resolution at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) convention. The resolution stated that the UBCM petition the B.C. government to implement the recommendation from the Highway of Tears symposium for a shuttle bus.

Yikes!

“We’re just reinforcing that call,” Karagianis said, “he went before the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention and had a resolution debated on the floor which received huge support.” In January of 2013, the B.C. Passenger Transportation Board approved changes that saw the number of Greyhound trips between Prince George to Prince Rupert reduced from 22 to 14. Rice says that people are now faced with no other alternatives. “People are faced with no other alternatives,” Rice said, “we have limited Greyhound service, and many people cannot afford vehicles. If you’re living on social assistance or disability and you only have a couple hundred dollars a month, but it takes you $50 to hire a taxi to go to town and get groceries it’s just not feasible, so no wonder people hitchhike.” Both believe it is time the government acted upon the promises that they made regarding this issue. “Jennifer Rice has asked numerous times in the legislature when the government is going to implement the bus, and they continue to stall or give a non-answer,” Karagianis said, “they’re declaring

This is the second of two columns addressing what Davis Black sees as the greatest threat to the B.C. environment in our lifetime.

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Exposure for Burns Lake mountain biking Burns Lake has partnered with the Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association to promote the local mountain bike trails in northern communities.

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...see VIOLENCE FREE ▼ P7

“I don’t have the grade or the marks I need to apply for a job or training in the fall!”

CNC Lakes can help…

Adult Education Summer Session – Focus on the subjects you need! June 1 to July 31

It’s free!

Phone: 250.692.1700 • Fax: 250.692.1750 • Toll Free: 1.866.692.1943 545 Highway 16 West • PO Box 5000, Burns Lake, BC • V0J 1E0 Email: lksdist@cnc.bc.ca • Website: www.cnc.bc.ca/lakesdistrict


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