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NOVEMBER 12, 2015
Two sections, 36 pages
100milefreepress.net
Grad gap persists
LOCAL CADETS FLEW THE COLOURS
Gaven Crites Free Press
HARLEM CROWNS SOAR IN 100 MILE B1
TRUSTEES PLAN FOR SCHOOL REPLACEMENT A3
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The voice of the South Cariboo since 1960 How to reach us: Ph: 250-395-2219 Fax: 250-395-3939 www.100milefreepress.net mail@100milefreepress.net
Ken Alexander photo
Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School students and staff presented a wonderful Remembrance Day ceremony to a full house on Nov. 6. During the ceremony, 2887 Rocky Mountain Rangers Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps members Master Cpl. William Sayce, left, Sgt. Allan Faulkner and Cpl. Matthew Wiebe flew the colours.
Changes for 2017 provincial election Ken Alexander Free Press
The B.C. Liberal government introduced Bill 42, Electoral Districts Act, last week to adopt the Electoral Boundaries Commission’s final report. When the act is passed, the new electoral map would see changes in 48 electoral districts for the 2017 provincial election. It maintains the number of electoral districts in rural and northern British Columbia, and creates two new districts in Surrey and Richmond/
New Westminster, The goal of last year’s province-wide consultation process, and the new changes to the Electoral District Act, was to ensure there is effective representation for British Columbians. The act also preserves current districts in the North, Cariboo-Thompson and Columbia-Kootenay regions to ensure citizens in less-densely populated – geographically large – districts can be effectively represented by their MLAs. Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Donna Barnett’s electoral
district will be changing and she calls it a good decision. While she will still be covering close to the same geographical area – some 44,000 square kilometres, Barnett says she will be picking up around 3,000 new constituents – up to 33,000. The increase comes from taking in all of the Williams Lake population up to the airport in the north and includes 150 Mile House. Her new district will also take in all of Highway 97 from Williams Lake south to 85 Mile. “The boundary change [in the north] is a good move
because of the citizens who we are supposed to serve in that area do all of the business in Williams Lake ... and it’s convenient because I have an office in Williams Lake.” Barnett notes that she has worked with most of the new constituents all many years. “Because of where my office is [in Williams Lake], they come in and use my office, which is great because that is what it’s there for. “I doesn’t matter to me whose riding you’re in, because if you need help and we can help you, we’re going to help you.”
The disparity in education outcomes between First Nations students and non-First Nations students highlighted in a recent provincial report closely resemble local trends in School District #27 (SD27). An audit looking at whether the Ministry of Education met the provincial government’s commitment 10 years ago to close the gaps in graduation rates between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students by 2015 was released on Nov. 5. While the report showed the graduation gap has narrowed since the commitment 10 years ago, inequality persists around the province to this day. In 2005, the graduation rate for Aboriginal students was 49 per cent compared to 82 per cent for non-Aboriginal students. In 2014, the graduation rate for Aboriginal students climbed to 62 per cent, compared with 87 per cent for non-Aboriginal students. In SD27, the graduation rates in 2014 were similar: 66 per cent for Aboriginal students compared to 88 per cent for non-Aboriginal students. There are approximately 66,600 Aboriginal students in public and independent schools in British Columbia, close to 10.5 per cent of the total student population. SD27, which covers about two dozen schools in the Central Interior, serves approximately 1,400 Aboriginal students. SD27’s 22 per cent disparity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal graduation Continued on A6