Peace Arch News Friday, April 22, 2011
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news Elementary school drops English-speaking program
Laronde completely immersed in French Hannah Sutherland Staff Reporter
Laronde Elementary will not have an English-speaking program next year. The majority of parents have chosen to relocate their children to neighbouring schools after the future of the program was thrown in question due to low enrolment numbers. “Most have decided to take advantage of having the opportunity to attend another school of their choice,” district spokesperson Doug Strachan said. The school, at 1880 Laronde Dr., will teach only French immersion beginning this fall. The majority of the 72 students currently
enrolled in the English program are to relocate to Ocean Cliff next year, with the rest having chosen Ray Shepherd or Chantrell Creek, Strachan said. The news comes two months after parents were informed that an English kindergarten and Grade 1 class was not expected to be viable for September, with just two Laronde students enrolled in kindergarten this year and numbers not expected to rise. The letter was sent to parents from Surrey School District assistant Supt. Rick Ryan in February, and was followed a few weeks later by another form, which gave parents in all grades the opportunity to request their children be transferred to neighbouring schools.
“If they wanted to choose to go to a neighbouring elementary school (then) we would accommodate that – if they wanted that stability and not wait to find out later whether there was enough numbers in their class or whether it would have to be a multi-grade class or no class at all,” Strachan said. “The parents have responded in the majority, the strong majority, to say they’d rather have the stability and also… keep friends of their kids together, and have chosen to leave the school.” Strachan said 10 students’ parents have not chosen another school – three Grade 5s, six Grade 6s and one Grade 7. Because the number isn’t sufficient to continue the
English program, it is being cancelled, and parents are to choose alternate schools. “It’s a difficult situation to be faced with,” Strachan said. “We were hopeful that we could continue the program, but at the same time, we needed to prepare and give parents as much notice as possible so there was as little disruption as possible if there wasn’t the enrolment for it to be practical to have classes.” Whether the English program will return is unclear. “Nothing is permanent,” Strachan said. “This is a reaction to the realities that we see right now and for the predictable and foreseeable future.”
Canuck fever hits Nigeria A Surrey engineer is spreading love for Vancouver Canucks as they work their way through playoffs. Because of his volunteer work, Monty Raisinghani was chosen by the city last year to carry the Olympic torch. He’s working with a French company building an oilprocessing platform off the coast of Africa. And on weekends, he works with orphans at the Light of Hope Orphanage in Nigeria. He recently showed the orphans video clips of the Canucks at work. “I thought, ‘Hey, with the playoffs coming, why not spend the day and talk about hockey and watch YouTube clips,’” Raisinghani said. “It’s been awesome, these kids are really receptive to it. It’s something that’s totally new to them.” They 40 children had seen field hockey before, but were gobsmacked at seeing the event on ice. “You can’t bring ice down here, but we’re going to be playing street hockey down here.” – Kevin Diakiw
Contributed photo
Orphans in Nigeria are rooting for the Canucks after being introduced to the concept of ice hockey by Surrey engineer Monty Raisinghani.
Coalition comments raise tempers
Newton candidates take part in federal debate Kevin Diakiw Black Press
Laddie and Rose Kodak are pretty sure they’re voting Conservative in the May 2 federal election, but they showed up to an all-candidates meeting in North Delta Tuesday evening to make sure they’re wellacquainted with the competition. The two seniors have 70 years combined teaching experience, so they’re familiar with NDP candidate Jinny Sims, former president of the BC Teachers’ Federation. The all-candidates meeting for Newton-North Delta was attended by five federal hopefuls, including Ravi Gill (independent), Sam Hammond (Communist), Mani Fallon (Conservative), incumbent Sukh Dhaliwal (Liberal) and Sims. Green party candidate Liz Walker did not attend. More than 80 people shoehorned into a small room at the Delta Lion Pub to hear the candidates speak. Questions were taken from the audience, vetted and asked by moderator Beau Simpson.
The first question asked what candidates would do to protect quality access to health care. Hammond said the problem isn’t for lack of wealth in this country; it’s to do with ownership and distribution of wealth. Money now slated for tax cuts and billions committed for the purchase of fighter planes could be better spent on health care, he said. Fallon said the Conservatives have increased federal health transfers to the provinces by 33 per cent during their time in government. Gill said it will require the construction of more hospitals. He noted health care must be dealt with locally, where there’s a better awareness of needs. Dhaliwal said the Liberals have always been supportive of universal health care and vow to increase spending on the service by six per cent annually. Sims said Canada’s health-care system is “a gift from Tommy Douglas,” referring to leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth
Kevin Diakiw photo
Five of six challengers attend debate in North Delta Tuesday evening. Federation, which joined another party to become the NDP. She said money going to corporate tax cuts and war planes could instead be spent on more doctors, nurses and in-home support care. The next question asked how the candidates would protect seniors. Dhaliwal said it’s important for people to be able to “retire with dignity.” For that, the government needs to protect the Canada Pension Plan. Sims said seniors “built our province and our nation.” She agreed that it’s critical to protect pensions,
and said it’s also important to have employment-insurance extensions. Hammond said too many people in this country, seniors and young alike, live in poverty. Fallon said that in order to protect seniors, government must maintain protections everyone wants, including a viable health-care system, serious policies to reduce crime and a strong economy. That would include allowing income-splitting (the process of redirecting income within a family to take advantage of the lower tax brackets, deductions and credits), she said.
Tempers began to flare when the spectre was raised of a coalition among the NDP, Liberals and the Bloc. Dhaliwal said the only time there was a coalition was when Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper joined forces with other parties to try to take down the Liberals. Sims called the discussion of coalitions a “bogeyman” that has no place in the formation of good policy. Hammond said there’s nothing wrong with a coalition, as long as its aim is to best represent the people who elected them. At the end of the evening, the Kodaks were unswayed by what they heard. “Did you believe any of that?” Laddie asked. “It was entertaining.” Rose wondered why so many of the answers seemed dodgy. “Why didn’t any of them answer the questions?” See feature on the Newton-North Delta riding, page 27.