TUESDAY MARCH 15, 2016
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ASSISTED DEATH
DANCE PARTY IN QUALICUM BEACH
Church and state set to clash at mid-Island hospital
Timebenders promise to provide dance music for every generation on April 2
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CHAIR WRITES LETTER TO EDUCATION MINISTER
School board seeks apology Minister Bernier’s comments on a radio show has SD69 board miffed JOHN HARDING editor@pqbnews.com
The local school board is asking for an apology from the Minister of Education after Mike Bernier showed “a blatant disregard and lack of respect” for school boards with his comments on a radio station Feb. 23. When asked on CBC’s Morning Edition about complaints from groups that B.C.’s education system is underfunded, Bernier said: “We constantly hear from a few groups that it is underfunded. Unfortunately when you hear that noise from a few groups all the time that is what people start to believe.” Qualicum School District 69 board of trustees chair Eve Flynn sent a letter to Bernier on Friday, asking for a public apology from the minister. “Your comments demonstrate a lack of understanding for those advocating on behalf of our students,” wrote Flynn. “Your remarks marginalize and dismiss hundreds of thousands of people in the province. They show a blatant disregard and lack of respect for school boards who are working within a co-governance model with the Ministry of Education.” See GOV’T DISMISSES, page A8
MLA defends new rules Bus pass changes spur 15,000-person petition AUREN RUVINSKY writer@pqbnews.com
Raise the rates and leave the bus pass alone. That’s the call from over 15,000 people who signed a petition organized by Inclusion B.C. asking the government not to change the way people with disabilities (PWD) receive transportation benefits, as announced in the budget. “The government’s couching this as a choice for individuals, when in fact fundamentally there’s no choice for those folks who are recipients of PWD,” said Geoff Wright, a director with Inclusion B.C., an association of agencies that support people with developmental disabilities. See OLD SYSTEM UNFAIR, page A7
J.R. RARDON PHOTO
LITTLE BUCKAROO: Liv MacAlister of Lantzville, 3, tries to “lasso” a steer with a hula hoop during the opening day of the annual Calving Festival at Morningstar Farm just outside Parksville on Saturday.
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