Risk reduced New classification suggests Colliery dam costs lower. Page B1 Buffalo hunt Rockers ready for anything ahead of Nanaimo concert. Page B7 Driveway Bargain-priced Nissan Micra returns to basics. Page 3
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THURSDAY, MAY 29, 2014
VOL. 25, NO. 6
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Council puts priority on cycling, transit I transportation plan guides decision making. By gReg Sakaki THe NewS BULLeTiN
CHRIS BUSH/THe NewS BUlleTIN
nanaimo District secondary school staff Darlene Carolsfeld, left, stephanie robinson, Chantal Bernier and leila rai were among dozens of nanaimo teachers walking the picket lines tuesday as the B.C. teachers Federation ratchets up pressure on the B.C. government with a series of rotating strikes across the province.
Teachers say dispute about class composition By kaRl yu THe NewS BULLeTiN
While some say wages are at the heart of the current teacher dispute, employees of Lantzville’s Seaview Elementary School say it is class size, composition and staffing. Elementary school teachers Sue Trebett, Lindsay Miller, Donna Swerhun, Travis Preston and Jeff Schultz are all expressing concern that students aren’t getting the proper education due to cutbacks and lack of funding. Teachers across the province staged a second round of job action this week with rotating strikes, which happened in Nanaimo on Tues-
day. In response, the provincial government locked out teachers for 45 minutes before and after school, as well as recess and lunch. Miller said prior to 2002, when the government stripped away class size and composition language via Bill 22, the allowable numbers for kindergarten to Grade 3 were 22 students – now it is 24. The allowable for Grades 4 to 7 was 26 for a split class and 29 for a straight grade, a number that has increased to 30. Composition refers to the number of students with special needs in a classroom. She said the increase makes a big difference and staffing cutbacks have not helped.
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“Donna, Sue and I have been teaching for many, many years and we can say for sure that until 13 years ago, things were so much different,” Miller told the News Bulletin. “There were seven or eight [educational assistants] in the school who were dedicated with two or three children. “Now those poor EAs are fragmented, they’re racing from class to class trying to get there at the most opportune times for teaching ... we went from seven to one; in September we had one EA.” Preston said there used to be no ratios but that has changed. See ‘STUDENT’ /6
Nanaimo wants to get moving on getting people moving. City council unanimously adopted on Monday a new transportation master plan that prioritizes walking, cycling and public transit. “This is an ambitious plan in my opinion and it changes the mix…” said Coun. George Anderson, chairman of the transportation advisory committee. “The plan will drive us forward to looking at a variety of potential transportation options and use of sustainable modes of transportation, while reducing our dependency on automobiles.” The plan is intended to guide decision making over the next 25 years. Over that time frame, the city will seek to double the number of pedestrian trips and quintuple bicycle and bus travel. A priority in the plan is a frequent transit network linking downtown Nanaimo, Vancouver Island University, Country Club Centre and Woodgrove Centre. “The focus is to connect the areas with the highest transit potential with the best transit service,” said Gordon Foy, the city’s traffic and transportation engineer. “For every service hour we
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invest here, we’re likely to get the best return and that’s going to drive our transit hours up fast.” The goal is 15 minutes between buses at those hubs, 15 hours a day. Foy mentioned that the frequent transit network aligns with the Regional District of Nanaimo’s transportation goals. Michael Olson, executive director of the VIU Students’ Union, said current bus stop wait times “don’t allow Nanaimoites to view public transportation as a reliable, efficient means to commute,” and said students support transit infrastructure investment and modernization. Another ideal in the transportation master plan is a “complete streets” model that values wider, more well-defined sidewalks and bicycle lanes, clearly marked street parking and shorter crosswalks. Some feel the city’s targets regarding walking, cycling and bus trips aren’t aggressive enough. “I think it would make a good 10-year plan,” said Ian Gartshore, sustainable energy advocate. “The plan, as I see it, continues to keep the car at the top.” Coun. Bill Bestwick said some people won’t be convinced to get out of their cars, especially during gloomy months when they’re commuting in the dark. “At the end of the day it comes down to priorities and economics, as it always does, and it comes down to costs, convenience and incentive,” he said. See ‘TRANSPORTATION’ /4
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