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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014
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INSIDE TODAY: Fun in Uptown New West P3
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FOOD TRUCKS READY TO ROLL
‘Another poke in the eye’ Teachers’ union prez takes aim at $40-a-day offer from government BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER
nhope@royalcityrecord.com
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Summer flavour: A Johnny’s Pops operator sets up his mobile food bike at Uptown Live in New West. The gourmet popsicle maker is making his way back to the city to offer up his cool treats at this year’s Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Fest on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Meals on wheels with attitude BY NIKI HOPE REPORTER
nhope@royalcityrecord.com
Expect some flavour to roll into town this month for the Columbia StrEAT Food Truck Fest. Downtown’s main strip will become a sea of food trucks on Saturday, Aug. 23 for the festival, now in its second year and organized by the Downtown New Westminster Business Improvement Area (BIA). “We’re hoping for 40,000 (attendees),” said BIA executive director Kendra Johnston. They plan to feed the hungry visitors with offerings from about 50 food carts as
well as a mini-farmers’ market. The association beefed up the number of food trucks after last year’s event, which had just 15 trucks. The BIA was expecting 10,000 people to turn up in 2013 – but double that number came out. The hefty turnout meant people had to wait in “horrendous” line-ups for food – something Johnston hopes to minimize this time around. “It was the best possible problem to have, but a big problem,” she said. Hopefully, the only problem attendees have this year is deciding on what to order from the many delicious food truck menus. The fest will include what Johnston
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called “atmospheric” live music – performers playing not on a stage but throughout the event. There will also be a “pop-up park,” offering visitors a place to lay down a picnic blanket and enjoy their meal. Beer gardens will be located at The Heritage Grill, The Columbia and The Met, with the latter featuring local favourites Steel & Oak craft beers. “Feedback from last year was for more craft beer,” Johnston said. More beer offerings and more food trucks likely means more fun all around. For the entire list of tasty options trucking this way, visit www.downtownnewwest. ca.
A “ridiculous response” is how the New Westminster Teachers’ Union president describes the provincial government’s $40-a-day offer to parents if the teachers strike continues into September. “It simply seems to be another poke in the eye to teachers,” said Grant Osborne. “We have been trying to resolve it … instead we’ve been hit with this $40 for parents, and I’m a parent as well, but $40 doesn’t address my son’s class size or ratios around teacher/librarians or (English as a Second Language).” The union wants to see caps on class size and composition similar to those that were stripped from their collective agreement in 2002. “It was reams and reams of collective agreement material that was torn out of a contract that was deemed illegal,” the local union president said, referring to a B.C. Supreme Court decision, which struck down legislation that removed class size and composition from the teachers’ contract. The government is appealing the ruling. Meanwhile, the government’s negotiator and the B.C. Teachers’ Federation resumed formal contract talks last Friday. Despite the ongoing uncertainty and lack of movement, Osborne remains “hopeful” that a deal will be reached. He also dismisses the notion that some teachers may be losing faith in
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