Thursday April 10, 2014 (Vol. 39 No. 29)
V O I C E
O F
W H I T E
R O C K
A N D
S O U T H
S U R R E Y
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Poster girl: Semiahmoo Animal League Inc. volunteer Oriah Johnston, 9, has been recognized by the animal-rescue societyy for the hard work she has contributed for the last six years. i see page 11
Daughter put on hold
36 charges after holdups
French space scarce
ATM bandit case in court
Sheila Reynolds Black Press
Alex Browne
She began dialing as soon as the phone lines opened at 5 p.m. on Jan. 15. In fact, Erin McCall and her friend were hitting redial on three separate phones – a land line and two cellphones – simultaneously, hoping someone on the other end of the Surrey School District’s “telephone lottery” for French immersion (FI) registration would pick up. Having graduated from a French-immersion program herself, there was no doubt McCall wanted her daughter, Elle, to start kindergarten in the specialized language program this fall. “Why not?” she said, when asked why she wanted Elle in FI. “If your child has the chance to learn one of Canada’s other official languages, why wouldn’t you do it? It’s a great benefit in terms of the job market; the learning outcomes studies have shown math and sciences are a lot stronger for kids in French immersion. Why not give them that extra advantage?” Finally, after 40 minutes on the phone and more than 800 dial attempts, instead of the usual busy signal, one of the phones connected. McCall was then on hold another 20 minutes and when someone answered, she was No. 192 in line. Like everyone before and after her, she was asked to give her first and second choice of the six Surrey elementary schools that offer early (kindergarten or Grade 1) French immersion. She gave her picks – Laronde Elementary and Peace Arch Elementary – but Elle didn’t get into either. (Callers don’t have the opportunity to give a third choice.) Elle currently stands 12th on
Staff Reporter
Evan Seal photo
South Surrey parent Erin McCall is encouraging other parents to speak out after she wasn’t able to secure a kindergarten spot in French immersion for her daughter, Elle, this fall. the wait list at Laronde, and 18th at Peace Arch. McCall has been told chances are slim her daughter will make her way to the top of either list. “It’s frustrating,” says the mom of two. “It’s really not a lottery at all, because a lot of parents have these telephone parties where they can stack the deck, and the more people you know with cellphones, the more calls you can make.”
The fight for French-immersion spaces is not a new problem or one that’s particularly unique to Surrey. In many districts, just as it used to be in Surrey, parents are still forced to camp out overnight in hopes of securing a Frenchimmersion space. McCall says at least with that system, you know exactly where you stand. Here, she’s had to call the individual schools to know where
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her daughter is on the wait lists. There are currently about 3,300 students in French immersion in Surrey – about five per cent of the district’s total enrolment. Canadian Parents For French says while Surrey has demonstrated strong leadership when it comes to French-language education, the district needs to ensure families have an equal opportunity to participate. i see page 4
A four-day preliminary hearing into the case against a man accused of being the “surgical mask bandit” began Tuesday in Surrey Provincial Court. Travis Jensen-Pickford, 23, appeared before Justice Peder Gulbransen, accompanied by defense counsel Nathaniel Hartney, as Crown counsel Jennifer Lopes began a robbery-by-robbery review of the case with a police witness who co-ordinated the investigation. A ban on publication prevents evidence heard during the hearing from being reported. Jensen-Pickford, who was arrested on June 15 last year, faces 36 charges in connection with 12 robberies in White Rock and Surrey in early 2013, in which victims were accosted, while making transactions at ATMs during non-banking hours, by a man wearing a surgical mask. All but two of the robberies (one in Newton and the other near 186 Street and Fraser Highway) took place on the Semiahmoo Peninsula. The accused, his short, light brown hair and beard neatly trimmed, and wearing a black suit, white shirt, dark blue tie and black trainers, sat impassively with hands folded in front of him during the hearing. Jensen-Pickford, who elected last July to be tried by a Supreme Court judge and jury, is currently out of custody, on a $15,000 surety bail. The hearing is scheduled to continue until April 11, after which a date for trial is to be set.
Surveillance image
One of four photos released by police.