6 -- Wednesday, May 7, 2014 -- THE NEWS - www.mapleridgenews.com
THE NEWS/opinion News Views
Not so funny On the weekend, Pitt Meadows Coun. Gwen O’Connoll posted an image on Facebook, in which one ape asks another why he ‘unfriended’ him on the social media site. The response includes a curse word and a slur. That is not uncommon for a joke. But it was not shared just among friends, or just by a comedian, but an elected official on a public forum, one with a billion monthly users. And the mayor of Pitt Meadows, Deb Walters, commented on Facebook that the meme was “funny.” Coun. O’Connoll doesn’t see how she offended people, although she has removed the post and offered, not an apology, but an explanation. Mayor Walters is sorry, “if people were offended.” ‘If’ is not the issue. Nor is it those who are overly sensitive towards the use of a word, or two, or who didn’t understand the joke. It is about a veteran politician – or two – who doesn’t understand, for one, how the privacy settings on Facebook work, or how her public profile reflects people’s confidence in her ability to make sound decisions, or that what she perceived as funny is a derogatory remark that society has being trying to eradicate from the lexicon for the past 25 years. Just last year a Maple Ridge high school conducted a campaign for that very cause. The “R” word hurts. One could forgive a teenager for making such a remark, for not yet understanding the scope of that type of misstep. But even kids today understand that if they post inappropriate material on sites such as Facebook, to share with friends, their parents might see it. O’Connoll has shown poor judgement here, and a lack of understanding of the extent her faux pas. Trying to justify her actions shows, as does removing the post, an admission that the image and joke could be deemed offensive. She didn’t get that, at first. Now she’s being defensive, as is the mayor. Would either ever utter the same word in council chambers? Do they not understand the public nature of their elected positions? They actually thought the meme was funny? The lack of judgement shown by Coun. O’Connoll and Mayor Walters in this instance is surprising and disappointing. Both would benefit from sensitivity and social media training. – The News
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Ingrid Rice
‘Vocational school’ back in style VICTORIA – The B.C. government has rolled out its ambitious overhaul of the public education system, from kindergarten to graduate school, much to the horror of its left-wing establishment. The formal title is B.C.’s Skills For B.C. Views Jobs Blueprint: ReTom Fletcher engineering Education and Training. It’s designed to dovetail with Prime Minster Stephen Harper’s Canada Job Grant, which requires employers to co-sponsor training spaces so they will hire the students at the end. Elementary and middle school curriculum is being revised to increase emphasis on hands-on experience. High school and post-secondary skilled trades programs are getting more money, but it’s going to be shifted from under-performing programs that don’t lead to jobs. Premier Christy Clark took another swipe at the bias of B.C.’s system before heading to Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong on another liquefied natural gas sales trip. She noted that 20 per cent of B.C. students, and nearly half of aboriginal students, don’t finish high school. “Not only are there kids who don’t graduate, there are kids who graduate, go out and get one or two credentials before they finally find their way into a skills training program,” said Clark, who had her own wander through university campuses before going into politics. A couple of weeks ago, Simon Fraser University president Andrew Petter
downplayed the “relatively small” skilled trades shortage for B.C. industry. “We should not be engaged in a zerosum kind of battle for dollars,” Petter protested. That’s exactly what he and other university executives are looking at, and it will be based on the latest graduate employment data and labour demand forecasts. One of the key architects of this sweeping plan is Jessica McDonald, who shook up the public service while serving as Gordon Campbell’s deputy minister. Her report on trades training confirms what Campbell’s critics in the labour movement have long said: the government’s 10-year experiment with the Industry Training Authority is a rudderless mess. “Certain partners, particularly organized labour, feel marginalized,” McDonald wrote. “Others, particularly employers and employers’ associations, do not feel heard within the system. Over the recent past, several new directions have been introduced, such as de-regulation of trades and modular training that have caused strain because they were not fully inclusive during development, were seen to benefit single interests, and they impacted the whole system.” The ITA board is being replaced, with union representation restored, and advisory councils from industrial employers will update their hiring needs. The B.C. Federation of Labour and the construction unions have all but abandoned the NDP after Adrian Dix’s disastrous pitch for urban anti-industry votes last year. B.C. Fed president Jim Sinclair was an early advocate for rescuing skilled trades from the second-class status they received
in a culture fixated on university for two generations. That culture has created glaring problems. There are too many institutions offering the same courses. As with health care, block funding is handed out without any serious effort to measure the results. For many students, university has become an extension of adolescence, finding one’s self through philosophy or film studies.
“For many students, university has become an extension of adolescence, finding one’s self through philosophy or film studies.” Employers get their share of blame from McDonald. Not only did they chop up trades training to make it cheaper to obtain, their preferred source of skilled workers has been to poach from other employers who paid to train them. Skills-based employment data will be made public for students to make career choices. Finally, students coming out of high school will have a way to assess what they can expect after $50,000 or more is spent on higher education. It’s about time. Tom Fletcher is legislature reporter and columnist for Black Press.
This week’s question: Do you think B.C. is doing enough to promote trades training and apprenticeships in schools? @ Online poll: cast your vote at www.mapleridgenews.com, or e-mail your vote and comments to editor@mapleridgenews.com