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Tuesday September 9, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 72)
V O I C E
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W H I T E
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lcome Members and non-Members we
Keeping the dream alive: Canadian hero Terry Fox is remembered by his former public relations director and Peninsula resident Bill Vigars days before events honouring the cancer advocate start all over the Lower Mainland. i see page 11
S U R R E Y
w w w. p e a c e a r c h n e w s . c o m
Tribeca Square, St., Surrey King George Hwy. & 152nd
Strike savings already allocated to parents of younger students
Province eyes extending school year Jeff Nagel Black Press
Education Minister Peter Fassbender says the province may take extraordinary steps to ensure senior secondary students’ school year is not cut short by the teachers’ strike. That could mean adding days to the school calendar later in the year, he said, to ensure Grade 12 students in particular complete
their courses and get all the marks they need. “Do you put it on the end of the year? Do you take it out of spring break? Do you take it out of Christmas holidays? My staff are looking at all of the options,” Fassbender said. “It’s going to depend on how long this drags out. Whatever length of time it takes to get this settled, we will do everything we can to make sure the school year is kept
whole for those students.” It’s unclear how the government would finance adding extra days of classes later, when all of the $12 million per day in strike savings may be consumed by the province’s offer of $40-a-day payments to parents. “If they were accumulating the savings, that would be one thing – they would have a fund,” Vancouver Board of Education chair
Patti Bacchus said. “But they’re giving away the budget right now to parents that would be otherwise available to pay for that.” As of Monday morning, 74 per cent of parents of eligible public school children under age 13 had signed up for the $40 payments, which are expected to be made as a lump sum after the strike ends. i see page 2
Tracy Holmes photos
Members of the Moon Beauties add a colourful element to the opening ceremonies of the second annual White Rock Moon Festival Friday evening.
300 placards stapled along length of White Rock pier due to ‘miscommunication’
City ensures ads don’t eclipse moon fest Tracy Holmes Staff Reporter
Sponsors’ ads lined the pier Friday.
A “miscommunication” is being blamed for nearly 300 advertising placards cropping up along the length of the White Rock pier Friday. Director of leisure services Eric Stepura said he was alerted to the issue Friday morning, when the city received a complaint. While he confirmed the city had authorized some advertising on the pier by sponsors of the weekend’s Moon Festival, the extent allowed was misunderstood. “What was agreed to was, we’d allow advertis-
ing signage at the entranceway,” Stepura told Peace Arch News, referring to the area at the pier head, from the railway tracks to the first decorative arch. “I think it’s just miscommunication.” The majority of the placards were removed or relocated to the permitted area in time for the festival’s opening ceremonies, which got underway at 6 p.m. and included remarks from dignitaries, performances and the singing of Auld Lang Syne. Thousands turned out over three days to take in the second annual event, for which red lanterns hung from the pier arches added a festive glow to the evenings.
South Surrey & White Rock Artists’ Open House
Saturday, September 27 and Sunday, September 28
Stepura described the advertising hitch as frustrating, but noted it’s not unusual for highlevel event sponsors to be afforded such temporary permissions. The city received more than $50,000 in corporate sponsorships, he said. One White Rock resident said she was appalled to see the advertising when she and two friends went for their morning walk Friday. Karen Clark described the decorative lanterns as “beautiful,” but said the city should not have agreed to any advertising along the structure – particularly for businesses outside of White Rock. i see page 2
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Map and info at www.peninsulaarttour.com Special thanks
2 1 A R T I S T S - 1 2 LO C AT I O N S to our sponsor
CIBC Wood Gundy
Register online - pahfoundation.ca/runwalk