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Y O U R C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R • F O U N D E D I N 1 8 9 1 • W W W. T H E P R O G R E S S . C O M • F R I D AY, F E B R U A R Y 2 6 , 2 0 1 6
Trustees boost pay
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Future raises to be tied to consumer price index Jessica Peters The Progress Chilliwack school board trustees voted unanimously in favour of increasing their remuneration for the upcoming year, by two per cent. The raise translates to an increase of about a dollar a day, and is the first increase local trustees have had in seven years. Five trustees currently receive $18,000, the vicechair, Dan Coulter rreceives $18,900 and trustee chair It’s always Silvia Dyck receives awkward $19,800. The increase will to talk be effective July 1, year. about a thisThe last increase for the board was on raise Feb. 1, 2009, similar district staff, who ~ Trustee to had also had little to no compensation Barry increase for a numNeufeld ber of years. In a decision report to the board, secretary treasurer Gerr y Slykhuis noted that with recently negotiated and approved increases for staff, it was time for the trustees to also see an increase. The board also approved a recommendation to follow the Consumer Price Index in following years, automatically adjusting the remuneration in accordance with 28 other B.C. school boards. Not all trustees agreed with the decision, and the board voted separately on the raise and the decision to follow the CPI. “It’s always awkward to talk about a raise,” Trustee Barry Neufeld said. Following the CPI would give the trustees stability, he noted, and the raise was “very modest and very reasonable.”
The annual Coldest Night of the Year walk took place on Feb. 20 in communities across the country. This year in Chilliwack, more than 130 walkers raised over $20,000 for the Cyrus Centre, an organization which serves homeless youth. Local firefighters served hot chocolate along the five km downtown route. TANIS KATIE PHOTOGRAPHY
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Court backs home marijuana growers Tom Fletcher Black Press The Federal Court of Canada has struck down regulations requiring licensed medical marijuana users to buy from Ottawaapproved growers, giving people the green light to continue growing at home. The ruling is suspended for six months, but the four B.C. residents who launched the court challenge had their growing licences protected under an earlier interim order. Thousands of people in B.C. and across
Canada received licences to either grow pot themselves or designate someone else to do it, before the Conservative government attempted to restrict production to large commercial growers who sent it by mail. With the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intent on legalizing recreational marijuana use, Kirk Tousaw, a lawyer for the four, says the latest ruling should “once and for all end the stigmatization and criminalization” for medical users and their providers. “And in addition, all pend-
ing criminal cases against medical cannabis producers, patients, growers and dispensaries should be immediately terminated,” Tousaw told CTV Wednesday. “There is absolutely no reason in this day and age to continue to prosecute people for helping people improve their quality of life with medical cannabis.” Federal Court Judge Michael Phelan ruled that preventing people from growing marijuana for medical purposes violates section seven of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which
guarantees “the right to life, liberty and security of the person.” The court challenge was brought by: • Neil Allard, 61, of Nanaimo, a former counsellor for Veterans Affairs Canada until he was granted medical retirement in 1999 due to “chronic fatigue syndrome.” He started growing his own marijuana after finding he was “sensitive to pharmaceutical medication,” according to court documents. • Tanya Beemish and David Hebert, a couple from Surrey
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