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100milefreepress.net
Previous pair of Supreme Court rulings overturned
Carole Rooney Free Press
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SKIERS TO HAVE A NEW TRAIL A19
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Teachers' appeal defeated in court
GUERREIRO RETIRES AFTER MORE THAN 40 YEARS
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July 18-26 2015
VYING FOR THE BALL, START OF SEASON
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House Mile
Gaven Crites photo
Braiden Beharrell, left, of Canadian 2 for 1, and Sam Harvey, of 108 Mile Ranch Lions Club, contended for the ball during a U10 soccer game at the Soccer Park when 100 Mile House & District Soccer Association league play kicked off May 2.
Tree planting offered
A reforestation project was offered to the District of 100 Mile House at council’s Committee of the Whole meeting recently. Free tree seedlings and professional assistance was offered by Brinkman & Associates Reforestation Ltd., with funding provided by Tree Canada (nonprofit environmental NGO). Brinkman regional manager Matt Robertson of Sooke made a presentation to council explaining his company reforests cut
blocks, and also applies for grant funding to pay for some projects. “We can provide 60,000 trees ... fully funded.” The District would need to provide some in-kind labour to source the specific sites, with no financial outlay, he said, adding the quality control work and professional oversight is part of Brinkman’s contribution. Robertson explained the District would also receive onsite follow-up after two years and a
project report (prepared for Tree Canada). Tree Canada stipulates the municipality cannot log or “damage” the land for 15 years after reforestation, he noted. Robertson added he had discussed the idea last August with District director of planning and economic development Joanne Doddridge and local RPF Steve Law before successfully securing the grant. Continued on A5
The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation has lost its challenge in the B.C. Court of Appeal over the withdrawal of class size and special needs supports in public education. In overturning two previous B.C. Supreme Court decisions, four of five appeal justices ruled the province did not violate the constitutional rights of teachers in legislating contract changes in 2002. Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers’ Association president Murray Helmer says the decision is “obviously disappointing.” “[Government is] just going about it legislatively right now, piece by piece, to further erode anybody who has any control or input into the system, and is shifting that control right to the minister of education.” This ruling casts an ominous shadow on all negotiated contacts with the B.C. Liberal government and sets the stage for reversed agreements, he adds. “I think it should be a wake-up call for anyone who contracts with this government, union or non-union, that
your contract could be changed unilaterally at any time and for any reason by legislation.” Having this lost contract language now ratified by the courts will “certainly be problematic” for teachers and the public education system, Helmer says.
MURRAY HELMER
“In the absence of [contract] language, we have to rely on the goodwill of government to ensure resources are in the public system. Obviously that is not playing out in recent years – we’ve seen a steady decline in funding. “The Teacher Education Fund is helpful, but limited in how much it can actually help.” The $800,000 in this fund for School District #27 will cover about eight full-time equivalent positions, he notes. “That is really not as helpful as it could be if we had firmer language around class sizes or ... composition language that says we have to have a minimum of teacher-librarians and of learning support teachers and things like that.” Continued on A3