I N S I D E : We are thankful for our volunteer firefighters. Pages 7-10
Journal ASHCROFT t CACHE CREEK
Volume 120 No 41 PM # 400121123
The
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Serving Clinton, Spences Bridge, Lytton, Savona, Walhachin and surrounding areas Since 1895
www.ash-cache-journal.com
$1.30 includes GST
7
78195 50011
6
Enrolment decline slowing in Gold Trail
Run, Walk or Roll Ashcroft students were out enjoying a beautiful Fall day with their own Terry Fox Run on Sept. 30.
Spences Bridge loses federal polling station by Wendy Coomber Spences Bridge voters who are expecting to have a nice leisurely walk to their polling station on Oct. 19 may want to check their Voter Registration Cards closely. It seems that their polling station is in Lytton. Resident Mavourneen VarcoeRyan said she found a notice in her mailbox last week noting the change. “It was just a notice in the mailbox yesterday and looks like it was the Cooks Ferry Band that issued it,” she said. They had a three-hour Advanced Poll on Monday, Oct. 5 “for people who didn’t have to work,” she said. She says Elections Canada looked
at facilities in Spences Bridge for a polling station. Obviously, she says, they originally considered putting one here. Spences Bridge was included in a list of polling stations in information distributed by Elections Canada last month. She says this is the first time in the 23 years she’s lived in Spences Bridge that it hasn’t had a polling station. “If you don’t drive, can’t afford the gas, or don’t want to spend an hour in the car going to Lytton... To have it taken away after so many years is completely different than never having it here,” she said.
“It is disturbing when our governmenment makes decisions without consultation,” said TNRD Director Steve Rice, who lives in Spences Bridge. “It is even more disturbing when it hinders any Canadian’s ability to vote. To have only a three hour time frame a full two weeks before the election to vote in Spencer’s bridge is ludicrous. Many of us are still watching the news, following the debates... When it comes to the right to vote ease of access should be a priority for any government.” Varcoe-Ryan says many in town will not be able to get to Lytton. “I feel quite confident some people will not be able to vote. I’m outraged.”
by Wendy Coomber Gold Trail enrolment figures are still dropping but the good news is they haven’t dropped by much. The figures won’t be official until Oct. 16, said Lynda Minnabarriet, S.D. 74 Secretary-Treasurer, but what they show as of Oct. 1 is 1,114.5 FTE (Full Time Equivalent). Last year there were 1,118 students enroled. Minnabarriet said in recent years, enrolment has been down by as much as 30-50 students, so they’re happy with these numbers. While most of the Gold Trail schools are seeing small increases in enrolment, Lillooet is heading in the other direction. Cayooosh has gone from 184 last year to 176 this year, George M. Murray has remained the same at 112, and the high school has dropped from 205 to 198. Lytton Elementary School has fallen from 71 to 69, but the high school recovered two of those, going from 44 to 46 students. A few new students in Cache Creek pushed the elementary school’s enrolment from 93 last year to 109 this year. Ashcroft and Clinton, which both have combined K-12 schools, have both seen slight increases as Ashcroft went from 262 last year to 269 this year, and Clinton went from 96 to 102 students. “Any time we can see stability in our numbers is a time to celebrate,” said Carmen Ranta, board of education chair. She said they were predicting a higher decline. They had also predicted that the decline in numbers would eventually taper off. Whether the next two years shows a stable enrolment number will be the real test. In 2002, the student population in the district was twice what it is now, she added. Stable enrolment, added Ranta, would be good news for planning and development in the communities with schools. Minnabarriet said enrolment had been projected for this year at 1,082. She is cautiously optimistic that the large declines in enrolment are finally coming to an end. What we’ve seen, she said, is higher numbers of older students graduating and smaller numbers of students entering Kindergarten. This year there are over 95 grade 12 students and 88 Kindergarten students. So we’re closing that gap, she said. From a financial point of view, enrolment is a key factor in government funding, and it also indicates whether the district’s facilities are being fully utilized. Minnabarriet says they will be finding out who these new students are in the next few years, but she suspects they are from families who are new to the communities.
GOLDEN COUNTRY YOUR HOMETOWN PROFESSIONAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS 250-453-2225 •1-800-557-7355 email remaxashcroft@goldencountry.ca
Kelly Adamski Broker/Owner
Cindy Adamski Broker/Owner
Bob Cunningham Representative
Bailey Adamski Office Administrator
Pamela Smith Support Staff
Proudly serving Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, Loon Lake, Pavilion Lake, Spences Bridge, Savona and areas since 1993