TUESDAY
S I N C E
APRIL 22, 2014
1 8 9 5
Vol. 119, Issue 62
105
$
INCLUDING G.S.T.
Green initiative for Trail Page 3
Follow us online
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
Phase One of teachers’ job action set to begin BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
It won’t be business as usual for elementary or high school students in Greater Trail after teachers begin work-to-rule action Wednesday, according to School District 20’s (SD20) superintendent. Job action follows the B.C. Teachers’ Federation(BCTF) serving a 72-hour strike notice to school districts across the province late Thursday after rejecting a long-term contract offer from the bargaining arm for the boards of education. Greg Luterbach emailed an advisory letter to SD20 parents Saturday evening outlining how the teachers’ first stage of strike action will affect school operations and students’ schedules. “Teachers will not be performing some of their regular duties,” explained Luterbach. “During this phase of strike action by teachers, schools throughout the district will remain open and instruction will continue.” Phase One of the job action has teachers refusing to supervise students outside the classroom except as an essential service order, arriving no more than one hour before class and leaving one hour after school hours, refusing all meetings except those related to work site occupational health and safety, and refusing to provide or receive written or electronic communication from school managers. “These and other service reductions will result in changes to school routines and events,” said Luterbach. “Principals and other administrative staff will be per-
forming some of the duties withdrawn by the teachers and will be less available than usual.” The BCTF stated teachers will continue to teach, write report cards, communicate with parents and participate in extracurricular activities during this initial stage, he noted. Strike action comes after 15 months of negotiations between the B.C. teachers and the British Columbia Public School Employers Association, said Luterbach, adding that although negotiations are ongoing, significant issues remain unresolved. The BCTF describes Phase Two of job action as rotating strikes, meaning a one-day-a-week closure of schools in districts around the province, and ultimately a full scale, province-wide withdrawal of duties during Phase Three. Before strike action moves into rotating withdrawal of service, the BC Labour Relations Board has ruled that the teacher’s union must give two working days notice, according to Luterbach. Before they go beyond a one-dayper-week withdrawal of all services, three working days notice must be given, he added. More than 29,000 teachers voted, with 26,000 (89 per cent) saying “yes” to a three-stage strike plan in March, after saying “no” to a 10-year agreement with wage increases totalling 6.5 per cent over the first six years, with further pay increases to be negotiated in the final four years. For further information and updates, visit sd20.bc.ca
EASTER EGG HUNT
GUY BERTRAND PHOTO
The Easter Bunny was the centre of attention during Trail’s annual Easter Egg Hunt held on Good Friday at Gyro Park. Over 250 people, including a bevy of young and eager egg hunters, scoured the park for the chocolate treats, enjoyed hot dogs and hamburgers, face painting and got high-fives (or fours) and hugs from the Easter Bunny.
Nitehawks claim Western Canadian hockey title BY JIM BAILEY
Times Sports Editor
The Beaver Valley Nitehawks made history on the weekend, claiming their first Keystone Cup and Western Canadian Junior B Championship in franchise history. It was an incredible if not improbable run through the
KIJHL playoffs and the Cyclone Taylor that culminated in a 5-1 victory over the host Abbotsford Pilots in the Keystone Cup final on Sunday. “It’s just satisfying,” said Nitehawks’ head coach and GM Terry Jones. “It’s so satisfying to win that last game, to know that the guys gave it everything they
had. It was a long season but man was it ever great to finish it with a win like that.” The small West Kootenay town of Fruitvale iced a team comprised of at least a dozen players from the Greater Trail area, including Fruitvale, Montrose, Rossland, and Trail, which consistently triumphed
over much larger centres on the road to the championship. “We have over half our team from the Trail area,” said Jones “It’s a great hockey town, and these guys really bought into what we were talking about on and off the ice..” The Nitehawks haven’t lost since Game 3 of the KIJHL final
Columbia Power has been named one of BC’s Top Employers for 2014. Visit columbiapower.org to learn why Columbia Power is one of the best places to work in BC.
against Kamloops on Mar. 31, going unbeaten in 13 straight games to capture the KIJHL title, the Cyclone Taylor Cup, and win its first Keystone, where they played six games in four days, including their 90th game of the season in the championship match. See HISTORIC, Page 11
Contact the Times: Phone: FineLine250-368-8551 Technologies 62937 Index 9 Fax:JN250-368-8550 80% 1.5 BWR NU Newsroom: 250-364-1242 Canada Post, Contract number 42068012