ROAD MAP LAID FOR ACADEMIES
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‘NO’ IS NOT OPTION page IN REFERENDUM
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FRIDAY
JANUARY 30 2015 www.newwestnewsleader.com
A boost in the number of surgeries and scans is poised to reduce waitlists. See Page A10
Ministers object to sexual diversity policy Grant Granger
ggranger@newwestnewsleader.com
MARIO BARTEL/NEWSLEADER
Coast Mountain Bus Company driver instructor Bruce Van Luven demonstrates a new Plexiglass shield that has been installed in one bus to protect its operator. The project is a pilot to test the barrier’s effectiveness in protecting drivers from unruly passengers.
Testing begins to shield bus drivers High hopes it will protect against sucker punches Jeff Nagel Black Press
After years of talk and hundreds of vicious attacks, testing is now underway on a plastic shield to protect Metro Vancouver bus drivers from hostile passengers. The clear polycarbonate barrier was to go into regular service Thursday on one Coast Mountain bus that will run various routes in north Burnaby as a six-month trial, and three more buses of
different types will be outfitted with with friendly passengers. similar shields this spring in Port Nathan Woods, president of the Coquitam, Surrey and Vancouver. union representing bus drivers, said Assaults on drivers were down in he’s optimistic the barrier being 2014 to 119 from tested will work. 134 in 2013 but “The type anxiety continues to of assaults this run high for drivers Nathan Woods barrier will help to after various severe The type of assaults this bar- eliminate are the rier will help eliminate are attacks over the vicious ones – the the vicious ones... years. sucker punches Despite the that debilitate and concern, drivers have never been damage drivers’ lives for weeks if fully on board with the idea of a not years,” Woods said. physical barrier, as some don’t want Derek Stewart, Coast Mountain’s it to interfere with how they interact director of safety, environment and
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emergency management, said the test is being funded and overseen by WorkSafeBC, which will also help assess the findings. A key issue is whether drivers can hear passengers clearly and communicate with them. Stewart said it appears that won’t be a problem as long as the passenger isn’t very soft-spoken. The hard plastic is impactresistant with low-glare but another concern is that drivers may get too hot.
This week’s feature: ature:
Montreal startss the auto show season…
drivewaycanada.ca anadaca
Please see TOUGHER SENTENCES, A5
New Westminster school district’s new sexual-diversity inclusion policy includes language that can be just as hurtful as that flung at students it purports to protect, says a local minister. The policy received unanimous approval from the board of education Tuesday. It mandates its schools have an inclusive culture regardless of a student’s sexual orientation. But the language in a portion of the policy irked Grant Hill, an associate pastor at Olivet Baptist Church. “I’m fine with all the protective bits, I just felt it didn’t leave room for respectful disagreement. It included language that didn’t need to be there,” said Hill. The section Hill objects to recognizes students face challenges dealing with others regarding their sexual orientation. It states: “Individuals who are, or are perceived to be, gender variant or questioning their sexual orientation, as well as their families, are frequently the targets of homophobic, transphobic or heterosexist behaviours.” Please see DIVERGENT VIEWS, A3