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< B.C. versus W. Blackmore
JUNE 26, 2015
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Vol. 64, Issue 122
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BARRY COULTER PHOTO
CLASS OF 2015: Amost 280 members of the Class of ‘15 gathered in the gym at Mount Baker Secondary School Thursday, June 25, before heading down the street to Western Financial Place for Commencement Exercises and the rest of their lives. Congratulations to all Mount Baker graduates — may your futures be full of health, happiness and prosper-
SD5 board slams Ktunaxa reflect on inadequate funding future of Jumbo issue QAT’MUK BEFORE THE COURTS
TRE VOR CR AWLEY
TRE VOR CR AWLEY
Though the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort is currently at a standstill after a recent government decision, there is still a court case winding through an appeal process from the Ktunaxa Nation Council. The Environmental Assessment Certificate — a necessary approval needed for the resort proponent to start construction — has expired following an announcement from Environment Minister Mary Polak, who recently determined that the project is
not substantially started. However, running concurrently to the government’s actions on the Jumbo issue is the pending result of a court case brought forward by the Ktunaxa. The Ktunaxa are currently appealing a judicial review that went in favour of the provincial government, arguing that the approval by then-minister Steve Thompson [Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations] of a Master Development Agreement in 2012 infringed on their Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
“Our appeal was based on the fact that we felt the issue of our Charter right to freedom of religion was not taken into consideration when he made his decision,” said Kathyrn Teneese, chair of the Ktunaxa Nation Council. “So that’s what we were arguing at the B.C. Court of Appeal.” The Ktunaxa argued their appeal at the end of May this year after the judicial review went in favour of the provincial government in April 2014.
See KTUNAXA, Page 3
In a letter to the Ministry of Education, the SD5 board of education is decrying the lack of adequate funding for the district after submitting their budget to the province. With school district budgets sent in to the province—a legislated requirement—trustees are also forwarding an annual needs budget that demonstrates that they say the district must choose to not fund, underfund and/or cut in areas that do not benefit from austerity measures. Local officials pleaded their case in a letter written jointly by Frank Lento, SD5 board chair, Shelley Balfour, Cranbrook and District Teach-
ers’ Association and Debbie Thierren, District Parent Advisory Council. “Year over year, districts across the province have informed government that the funding provided is not adequate to even cover the cost of living increases,” stated the letter. “Inflationary costs alone equal over one million dollars in our district and increases to the cost of doing business—carbon offsets, MSP premiums increases, BC Hydro rate increases etc—remain unfunded by the government and contribute to the cuts our board must make each year.”
See SCHOOL BOARD, Page 5