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Long & short of short things at the Waterfront Gallery P. 8
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Seconds count in quake prep: P. 12
SD68 asked to consider 8-12 French Immersion Ecole North Oyster parents cite benefits for students and LSS Craig Spence the chronicle
Ready or not here we come
What better place to slide than Symonds Street hill. Brothers Brendon, 13 and Ethan, 11, took full advantage of the first snowfall in Ladysmith and the Central Island Jan. 5, hurtling down what is arguably the best tobogganing hill anywhere. More photos on page 3. Craig Spence
Chemainus Foods in receivership Craig Spence the chronicle
A popular grocery store, that has served residents of Chemainus for decades is closing its doors. Last week Chemainus Foods announced a price reduction on remaining items in the store and customers were notified that the business, operated by Michele and Greg Riley was in receivership. “Sadly we must tell you Chemainus Foods is closing,” the Riley’s said in a letter to the community. “Market place changes have finally caught up to us and while we have tried to develop ideas that would keep
the doors open we’ve not been successful.” The Rileys were especially concerned for their staff. “Closing a store and losing a job is tough for everyone,” they said. “We know this will be a difficult time for our staff who have served us and the community well.” Chemainus Foods received the Chamber of Commerce Retail Business of the Year Award in 2012. “We will miss you and will also miss being a part of the various community events,” the Rileys concluded. “We are really sorry there was not a better outcome.” The feelings were returned by shoppers at the store Thursday, Jan. 7,
Beyond Your Expectations
many of them not aware Chemainus Foods was in receivership. “I just don’t want to see them go, and nobody I talk to wants to see them go,” said Jeanne Newton, who lives in Crofton, but has been shopping at Chemainus Foods for about 25 years. “We shop here all the time.” “It’s an institution in the town,” said Gail Myles, a resident of Chemainus for about eight years. “We’re going to miss this store.” She pointed out that the town centre of Chemainus is being redeveloped, and the loss of Chemainus Foods will be a setback to that initiative. “It’s an economic indicator in my mind,” she said. See Chemainus Foods, Page 3
Plus s’il vous plaît. Nobody’s saying a full 8-12 French Immersion program at Ladysmith Secondary School is feasible, but a presentation from the Ecole North Oyster community has given trustees and staff at NanaimoLadysmith School District pause for thought. In fact, SD68 hasn’t even decided if a Grade 8-9 FI program at LSS will fly. The district surveyed students and parents in December to determine the level of support for a program, and staff will be presenting a recommendation to the Board by late February or early March, Superintendent John Blain told SD68’s Education Committee Wednesday, Jan. 6. But representatives of Ecole North Oyster urged the district not to rule out a full program, which they argued will: solidify enrolments at Ecole North Oyster; help LSS draw more students, and recover from an anticipated decline in enrolment when Cedar Secondary School reopens in the fall; and make it easier for students in the southern end of the district to access an increasingly popular and beneficial program. “When there’s a secondary program, you will get more kids enrolling at the elementary level,” parent Cheryl Onciul told the committee. A presentation prepared by her, another parent Carrie Segreto, and by Ecole North Oyster teacher Belinda Harrison projected ‘potential’ enrolment of 75 students by 2020. If a full program isn’t offered, they said, it will be more difficult to draw students into the Ecole North Oyster-Ladysmith Secondary French Immersion stream, and retain students who do enrol. Even at the kindergarten level parents are looking down the road to see if it goes all the way to graduation and a ‘double dogwood’ By Grade 8 the choice becomes even more stark. “There’s little incentive for Grade 8 students to go to LSS then switch to NDSS (Nanaimo District Secondary School),” Onciul said. Some would opt to send their children straight into French Immersion at NDSS; others to drop out of the FI program altogether. See French Immersion, Page 3
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