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FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014
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Chips or sewage? New Westminster still pondering proposed facility BY THERESA MCMANUS REPORTER tmcmanus@royalcityrecord.com
The City of New Westminster has narrowed down the location of a proposed Sapperton District Energy facility, but has yet to determine whether wood or sewage will be used to generate energy. The city is exploring district energy as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by introducing renewable sources of heating for buildings and as being a long-range investment in sustainable infrastructure. The types of renewable energy sources being studied for the facility are sewer heat recovery and wood chip combustion. Mark Allison, the city’s manager of strategic initiatives and sustainability, said a city-owned site at 435 Canfor Ave. in the Braid industrial area would be the most appropriate site for a facility, if it moves forward. A “satellite energy centre” would be located at Royal Columbian Hospital when it is redeveloped. “We will have a pipe up to the property line,” he said. “They will take our energy from that.” A staff report states that Fraser Health has decided it doesn’t want to include an energy plant for on-site sewage heat recovery in its redevelopment plans for Royal Columbian Hospital, but is interested in switching the hospital to a lowcarbon thermal energy source when the off-site renewable energy plan is forecast to come online in 2019/2020. Sapperton has been deemed to be a good place to pursue a district energy system because of upcoming projects such as future development at Royal Columbian Hospital, the Brewery District and Sapperton Green. The city has yet to determine whether the energy would be generated by
Larry Wright/THE RECORD
Protesting: A teacher pickets outside Glenbrook Middle School. Teachers have voted in favour of full-scale strike action, and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation says a full-scale strike will start on Tuesday, June 17. There will also be a provincewide study session on Monday, June 17 – meaning teachers will not be at school sites.
Teachers ready to walk out School superintendent says to keep kids home Monday BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER
nhope@royalcityrecord.com
New Westminster superintendent John Gaiptman is asking that families keep their children home on Monday due to the fact that there will be no teachers on site as a result of ongoing job action. He is also urging those who want to take summer school to register immediately, because it will make it easier for the district to arrange. “We are still planning as if there will still be summer school,” he said. In terms of report cards, as of Thursday, the Labour Relations Board ruled that teachers must administer final exams in Grades 10 to 12 and must compile and submit final marks for Grade 12 students by June 20.
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“Right now, the only thing I can say for sure is that Grade 12 students will be getting their final marks – sometimes it’s a term mark if they are writing an exam or a final mark if there is no exam attached to it,” Gaiptman said. As well, testing for designations for students with special needs will continue, the superintendent said. There was a “massive turnout and incredible support” from New Westminster teachers in this week’s vote for a full-scale walkout, the local union president says. Grant Osborne, president of the New Westminster Teachers’ Union, said they don’t share the exact numbers local by local, but noted that the response from city teachers was definitely in line with the overwhelming push – 86 per cent voted in favour – toward ramping up strike action, despite the fact that the union is no longer able to offer strike pay during a full-scale walkout.
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“It’s a record-setting mandate,” Osborne said, summing up the results, which were announced Tuesday evening. As a result of the vote, B.C. teachers plan to launch a full-scale strike starting on Tuesday, June 17. In addition, the BCTF has provided notice that Stage 2 job action will be extended to Monday, June 16, with all teachers participating in provincewide study sessions. Schools will not be picketed, but teachers will not be on site, according to a BCTF media release. Despite the ongoing labour strife, Osborne remains optimistic that a deal can be struck between the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association and British Columbia Teachers’ Federation before the end of the month. “We are hearing from the government that they are invested in getting a deal
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