North Island Gazette, September 11, 2014

Page 1

Gazette NORTH ISLAND

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49th Year No. 37

September 11, 2014

• Funding feast

Community Futures kicks off Hamper drive with barbecue. Page 16

• Close finish

Black, Zealand claim low-gross titles in men’s open. Page 18

www.northislandgazette.com

Board feels strike frustration

Gazette staff P O RT H A R DY — Unsurprisingly, there was a fairly conspicuous elephant in the room as School District 85’s Board of Education reconvened for its first meeting of the new school year earlier this week. The ongoing dispute between the

Opinion Page 6 Letters Page 7 Classifieds Page 13-17 Sports Page 18

teachers and government dominated proceedings as the Board met in the School Board office Monday. DPAC representative Amanda Jorgenson told the Board that she had fielded “a lot of phone calls in the last couple of weeks” from parents frustrated by the situation and complaining about a lack

of information. One concern she repeatedly heard was from parents of high school students worried that time lost from the classroom would affected their children’s graduation. “I sympathize with you,” said Chair Leighton Wishart. “Unfortunately we don’t have

any answers either. We’re getting the same information through the conference calls that you’re hearing through the media.” “Everyone is in the same boat,” said Superintendent Scott Benwell.

See page 4 ‘Strike savings’

From left, Jerzie Cheetham, Madelyn Tolmie, Liv Humphrey and Mecca Humphrey share a laugh while walking through the vegetable entries in the Mount Waddington Regional Fall Fair Saturday in Port Hardy. For more on the Fall Fair, see North Island Life, page 10.

Fall Fairies

• Recreate skate

Port Hardy group seeks funds for skate park upgrades. Page 20

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J.R. Rardon

Teachers offer town hall update J.R. Rardon Gazette editor PORT HARDY— Finding themselves on the picket line instead of in a classroom as the school year began last week, the North Island’s schoolteach-

eat.

ers shared the status of their ongoing strike — and a few pointed opinions — with an audience of nearly 50 mostly sympathetic guests in a town hall meeting last week at the Civic Centre. Vancouver Island North

MLA Claire Trevena and School District 85 board trustee Jeff Field joined Vancouver Island North Teachers’ Association president Shawn Gough as speakers in the event, which offered residents a

drink.

chance to bring their own questions and comments to the panel. “Currently, the B.C. government spends $1,000 less per student, on average, than the rest of Canada does,” said Gough. “Don’t

we want our children to be even average?” The town hall was held last Tuesday, before B.C. Teachers’ Federation head

See page 3 ‘Teachers ask”

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