NATION&WORLD
Ashley Madison leak wreaks global havoc
Cheating spouse information adds up to a field day for divorce lawyers around the world. A6
SPORTS
Blowing ng smoke
Top local prospect is ready for his draft year
Nanaimo ‘vapers’ apers’ delighted with ith findings of a new British itish study
Nanaimo Minor Hockey graduate Patrick Bajkov is being projected as a third-round choice. B1
Page A3
The newspaper of record for Nanaimo and region since 1874 || Tuesday, August 25, 2015 EDUCATION
Back-to-school under protest Rutherford and Departure Bay families rally to save their schools from possible closure ROBERT BARRON DAILY NEWS
Tina Bray said it wouldn’t make sense if the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district decides to close her children’s school. Bray, a parent from Rutherford Elementary School, was among approximately 70 parents and students from Rutherford and Departure Bay elementary schools who staged a protest in front of the district’s administrative office Monday morning. The protest was held ahead of
a meeting of the school board, scheduled for Sept. 2, in which trustees will discuss the possibility of closing both schools at the end of the upcoming school year. “We’ve been sending letters to the board and staff during the summer expressing our concerns,” said Bray. “Enrolment is already above 90 per cent in schools in the north end and we’ll need more capacity in those schools in the coming years as development continues.” The closure of both schools
had been scheduled as part of a recently rejected facilities plan for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district. A new facilities plan is expected to be tabled this fall and the board has scheduled a meeting at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre on Sept. 2 to allow staff the opportunity to answer questions about the process. Chelsea Slobodan, a member of the SAVE Departure Bay Eco School organization, said enrolment at her school is “thriving”
as well, particularly since the school recently received approval from the board for charter school status to become an Eco Academy. “We don’t want to be part of any public consultation process that could lead to the closure of our school,” she said. “If our school is still scheduled to be closed in the new facilities plan, we’ll hold more protest rallies and use every means we can to prevent it.” District spokesman Dale Burgos
said while the district understands the reason for the rally, he emphasized that Nanaimo-Ladysmith is in the “very early stages” of updating its facilities plan. He said a decision is expected to be made at the meeting on Sept. 2 on whether to move ahead with a public consultation process with the community on the school closures. Robert.Barron @nanaimodailynews.com 250-729-4234
Neighbours clash with Northfield solution Residents living near one of Nanaimo’s highest-risk intersections are not happy about the city’s temporary solution to improve safety. » Nanaimo Region, A5
Raiders not empty-handed despite loss in Kamloops The Vancouver Island Raiders lost 39-32 on the road to the Kamloops Broncos but a late-game surge earned them the tie-breaker. » Sports, B2
Plunging Chinese stocks drag down world markets Stock markets across the globe slide in response to biggest drop in China’s economy since 2008 global crisis. » Nation & World, A6
» Use your smartphone to jump to our website for updates on these stories or the latest breaking news.
Mainly sunny High 21, Low 13 Details A2
Local news .................... A3-5 Markets ................................A2 Editorials and letters ..... A4
Nation & World ................. A6 Horoscope .......................... A7 Sports ................................... B1
Scoreboard ........................ B3 Classified ............................ B5 Obituaries ........................... B5
Comics ................................. B4 Crossword .......................... B4 Sudoku ................................. A2
Nanaimo Daily News and nanaimodailynews.com reach more than 60,000 readers each week in print and online. General inquires: 250-729-4200 | Newsroom: 250-729-4224 | To subscribe: 250-729-4266 | Copyright 2015. All rights reserved
$1.25 TAX INCLUDED