SFU STUDENTS KEEP UP GONDOLA FIGHT
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VICTORIA MUST HELP WITH TRANSIT
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A TEACHER’S POINT OF VIEW
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FRIDAY
JUNE 20 2014 www.burnabynewsleader.com
The 2014 Mazda rally had Alexandra Straub and Zack Spencer defending their title. See Page A12
Will SD41 follow VSB? Should school district add transgender washrooms? Wanda Chow
wchow@burnabynewsleader.com
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Ravil Chamgoulov stands atop Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, last month. He has climbed the highest mountain on all seven continents, but says he isn’t finished.
Seven Summits not end for local man Mario Bartel
photo@burnabynewsleader.com
Ravil Chamgoulov has been to the top of the world. In every part of the world. The Burnaby electrical engineer is one of about 350 people who’ve completed the “Seven Summits,” climbing the highest mountain on each of the globe’s seven continents. And on May 31 he returned from the challenge’s ultimate climb,
Mount Everest. For Chamgoulov, summiting the planet’s tallest mountain was the climax of a 10-year quest that began in May 2004 when he reached the top of North America’s highest peak, Mount McKinley. By December 2007 he’d achieved six of the seven summits, including the Vinson Massif in Antarctica. But to summit Everest took six years of training, securing
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sponsorship from companies like Freshslice Pizza for the $65,000 cost of his solo expedition, and waiting for a permit to open up in the tightly controlled schedule of climbers allowed up the mountain every season. Chamgoulov, a climber for over 25 years—during which he’s achieved more than 200 summits— planned to tackle the technically difficult route up the north side of
the mountain. He would be accompanied by only a Sherpa and a guide. That way he could avoid the busier, less arduous south route, which is often crowded by more inexperienced climbers and well-heeled adventurers who, said Chamgoulov, essentially pay their way to get to the top. Please see ‘I WILL NEVER STOP CLIMBING MOUNTAINS’, A9
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Could Burnaby schools soon have washrooms marked “xe” to accommodate transgender students? Burnaby school district plans to take a closer look at the policy just adopted by Vancouver School Board to support such students. School trustee Gary Wong said he couldn’t speak for the rest of the district’s LGBTQ committee, which he chairs. However, “I would think that we would possibly want to have a look at that. There are a number of initiatives we’re working on right now. The current labour dispute puts us in a holding pattern somewhat.” The policy sets out how the VSB can improve inclusivity for students who identify as gender-variant or transgender. It was part of a set of amendments to a policy on sexual orientation and gender identity that Vancouver first adopted in 2004. Xe, xem, and xyr are pronouns now included in the policy as alternatives to he/she, him/her and his/hers. see EDMONTON, A19