Wednesday June 4, 2014 www.saobserver.net $1.25 GST Included
Bootsma to run for mayor
Just a check up Emily French has her teddy bear’s ears examined by Dr. Adriaan Heunis at the Teddy Bear Hospital and Community Health Fair held Sunday at McGuire Lake. The event raised more than $6,000 for the Shuswap Hospice Society.
By Chelsea Grainger OBSeRVeR STAFF
Marty Bootsma will be stepping up and hoping to once again grab the title of Mayor of Salmon Arm this upcoming election. Bootsma was mayor of Salmon Arm for two terms from 2005 to 2011, when he decided it was time to take a break for some family time. But now he’s ready to return to his former role. “I liked being mayor and I think I was good at it,” said Bootsma, who was also a city councillor for six years. “I like being involved and I’d rather get in there and do things than be on the outside.” Bootsma said he plans to base his campaign around his experience with the community and the fact he is a credible candidate. “I’m going to run on my track record,” he said. Bootsma has spent the last 34 years living in Salmon Arm, where he has five children and nine grandchildren. He has also been a member of the Rotary club for the past 15 years and spent 14 years as a volunteer firefighter. “I have the time, I have the knowledge and I have the experience,” he said. Bootsma says that he’d like to see a number of small changes in the Marty Bootsma community, such as the Mayoral completion of the water candidate park and fixing potholes on the Trans-canada Highway. “We’re always talking about the big things,” said Bootsma. “little things are important too.” Bootsma is also no stranger to dealing with hotbutton issues. As the former mayor, he dealt with the divisive Smartcentres application, which included two sets of public hearings. His view on the controversial Ross Street underpass depends on funding. “I tend to be in favour,” said Bootsma. “But it depends largely on the cost, we’d have to make sure all the grants and financing are in place.” Bootsma is eager to see Salmon Arm grow. “Salmon Arm is a very forward-looking community,” said Bootsma. “I’d like to see it maintain that progressiveness.”
JaMEs Murray/OBSeRVeR
Job action continues
Education: Shuswap teachers picket, parents express frustration. By Chelsea Grainger OBSeRVeR STAFF
Teachers in School district #83 took to the streets for their second walkout as the ongoing teachers’ dispute rolled into its second week. Rotating walkouts across the province began on May 26 and the government responded by issuing a partial lockout and 10 per cent wage rollback to all teachers participating in strike action. Teachers are rallying for smaller class sizes, more support for students, and a salary increase of 15.9 per cent over the next four years. The government responded with an offer of a 7.3 per cent raise over six years, but the B.c. Teachers Federation declined. Sandy little, counsellor at Shuswap Middle School, says the ongoing dispute is a huge battle that needs to be figured out. “This is about kids and learning,” said little. “The system called education is broken and we need to collectively figure
This week A Salmon Arm teen needs specialized treatment in Boston for a brain tumour. See A4. There was hot action at the Salmon Arm Tennis Club over the weekend. See A13.
out how to fix it.” Kylee Kok, who is a learning resource teacher at Shuswap Middle School, says she loves her job and the situation is frustrating to deal with because everyone should be working together to better education. “It feels like we are fighting the wrong people,” said Kok. Parents of affected students aren’t necessarily pleased with the current situation either, as students are missing days of school and losing valuable time with their teachers. Andrea Pyle, who has two students in the school system, says she is in full support of the teachers. “I’m disgusted with the way the government is twisting everything,” said Pyle. “I don’t think teachers have adequate funding and they have to be valued, respected and paid as such.” Zan Alcock, who has a daughter in kinSee BCTF on page A2
JaMEs Murray/OBSeRVeR
Message: Liv Norrie, 6, joins her father on the picket line Monday morning.
Index Opinion ....................... A6 View Point .............A7,A8 Life & Times ............... A9 Sports................A13-A17 Arts & Events ... A21-A24 Time Out................... A25 Vol. 107, No. 23, 44 pages