▼ Hawks set sights high this season 22
Friday September 4 2015
The
Leader
▲ A bloody good time with The Bard 28
ICBC MAY HIKE BASIC RATE 6.7%
▶ SOARING INJURY COSTS TO DRIVE UP BASIC PREMIUMS JEFF NAGEL
▶ A PARTY FIT FOR A PRINCESS Sienna Harris, 5, gets her face painted by volunteer Taylor Fester, 16, at the sixth-annual White Rock Princess Party, a fundraiser at Star of the Sea Hall on Aug. 22. Hundreds of girls from across Surrey and White Rock attended to help raise money for the White Rock Fire Fighters Charity Association. For more information, visit www.wrprincessparty.com BOAZ JOSEPH
NEW YEAR MEANS NEW ‘HANDSON’ CURRICULUM FOR SCHOOLS
▶ STUDENTS TO BE TAUGHT LIFE SKILLS, COMMUNICATION AND CRITICAL THINKING IN ADDITION TO READING, WRITING AND ARITHMETIC TOM FLETCHER
The new school year in B.C. is the start of a three-year transition to a new curriculum
The Centre for all your
Dental Needs GATEWAY DENTAL CENTRE
that Education Minister Mike Bernier says will emphasize “hands-on” learning. The new curriculum is being phased in this year for kindergarten to Grade 9, with higher grades still in development. Bernier said this year it will be up to local school districts and teachers to begin implementing it before it becomes mandatory in the fall of 2016. Grade 10-12 curriculum is to be mandatory in 2017. Bernier, the Peace River South MLA appoint-
ed education minister this summer, said he’s heard from teachers who are looking forward to a curriculum that allows more flexibility and individual learning. He stressed that basic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic will remain, but students will also be taught life skills, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. continued on page 3
The Insurance Corp. of B.C. is warning motorists they’ll soon pay more for basic auto insurance. Because of a rate smoothing policy introduced by the province in 2013, this year’s rate hike must be between 3.7 and 6.7 per cent – within 1.5 per cent of last year’s 5.2 per cent increase on basic rates. continued on page 4
▶ “We believe that’s not acceptable and the rate can and should be lower than that.” TODD STONE
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