Up front: Cowichan preps to proudly let the maple leaf fly On stage: Enviro-protestors want no repeat of estuary dredging
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Friday, June 28, 2013
Newly closed school finds its new future
Koksilah: Another door opens as school district preps to open unique student centre in trades training Don Bodger
News Leader Pictorial
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Paris Gore
Mountain bike trail riders have a deal with North Cowichan to develop trails on Maple Mountain. For the full story, see page 14.
he creation of the Koksilah Trades Training Centre is one of the innovative ideas emerging from School District 79 restructuring. Koksilah Elementary School may be officially closed this week, but the facility won’t be boarded up or the property sold. Work is ongoing to convert the school into a trades facility that will remain alive in September through the buzz of vibrant training programs. “This thing’s going to go gangbusters,’’ said Keith Chicquen, Cowichan Instructional Director for Vancouver Island University. “As a result of this type of re-purposing, something’s closing but something’s opening up,’’ said Ron Nunweiler, acting director of middle/secondary for School District 79. “I don’t think anybody’s more excited about this than the two of us,’’ said Chicquen. He bases his enthusiasm on three factors: the demand for trades, the location and the dual-credit component. It’s basically been two years of conversing between the two men in determining a site and putting the plan into action. During that time, the school district and VIU partnered on several programs that created opportunities for students in Grades 11 and 12 to participate in trades courses and apprenticeship programs under the dual credit system offered by the Ministry of Education. more on page 5
Poor sales mean RONA closes its Cowichan Commons store for good in October
Eleven shut across Canada: Cobble Hill outlet to remain open amidst corporate sweep Peter W. Rusland
News Leader Pictorial
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he RONA store at Cowichan Commons is closing Oct. 6, the News Leader Pictorial has confirmed. A statement from RONA president Robert Sawyer explains the six-year-old Commons store is among three
in B.C., and eight in Ontario shutting due to being unprofitable. Sawyer’s plan, affecting North Cowichan’s branch, is to boost bottom lines by reducing administration, staffing, marketing and other costs. One despondent staffer said she’d been working at the Commons store for only a month or so, referring comments to her management. The store manager hadn’t returned Leader calls by press time. RONA’s Commons and Cobble Hill stores, plus two other franchises up-island, were sold in April 2011 by the valley’s McKinnon family
S’more the Merrier Available All Summer Long
The Cowichan Commons RONA store is closing. to the parent arm of the Quebec-based homeimprovement giant. Grant McKinnon said Thursday RONA’s
Cobble Hill store remains open. He was surprised about the news. “They did some renovations recently. “It’s unfortunate; there’s a lots of good staff there. My heart goes out to those people — some are our former staff.” His firm, Pacific Homes and Pacific Truss, still owns the Commons’ RONA building and property, and will continue leasing the site to Quebec-based RONA for five more years. That means RONA continues paying McKinnon’s company while trying to find a new tenant for the Commons site, he explained. more on page 5
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