The Chilliwack
Progress Friday
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Members of the Royal Westminster Regiment prepare for competition.
The Poppy Project goes online.
Quiet efficiency from Chiefs’ rookie.
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Happy trails: World class potential seen in local hillsides Jennifer Feinberg The Progress Picture a vast network of trails snaking through the hillsides above Chilliwack. That’s the vision of a new group formed to advocate for better parks and trails in Chilliwack, said Marc Greidanus, one of the founders of the Chilliwack Park Society. “Our first big project is the p facilitation of fa a trail system Chilliwack the Eastern residents from above Hillsides,” he said. So far they’ve Popkum to had talks with Promontory City of Chilliwack, and will be able to FVRD Ministr y of leave the car Forests, and local in the garage, outdoor-oriented walk out their groups. The basic front door and idea is to build multi-use trail embark on asystem, connectanything from ing Bridal Falls Park, an hour jog, Provincial to the Chilliwack to a multi-day C o m m u n i t y above Allan alpine hike, Forest Road, eventually connecting to ~ Marc the Elk-Thurston Greidanus saddle and Ryder Lake. The trails would be for hiking, running, mountain biking and horseback riding, and would dovetail with new development eyed for the eastern hillsides. City of Chilliwack has a long-term plan for trails in the area, which are connected to potential development cells in the hillsides. “If the city follows through on even half of those proposed walking trails, and they connect to our proposed trail system on Crown land, it will create a world-class outdoor network connecting
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School trustee candidate Karen Jarvis speaks during Wednesday’s all-candidates meeting at Sardis secondary. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Funding challenges dominate debate Greg Knill The Progress Chilliwack school board candidates faced a variety of questions at the first of two allcandidates meetings at Sardis Secondary Wednesday. But the reoccurring theme was a simple one: Money. Early literacy, special needs, graduation rates, and class size and composition were all tied to the availability of funds – something the school district has limited control over. Speaking to a cluster of parents – and a few rows of empty chairs – the 13 candidates promised to push hard for more funding from government, or do a better job with the dollars they have. There is a fine balance between the money the district
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has, said Silvia Dyck, and the needs it must meet. Dyck, hoping for her sixth term on the board, said she is dismayed by the erosion of government support for public education. “I’m concerned that the education system for my grandchildren won’t be as good as the education system was for my children,” she said. Several candidates picked up that theme. John-Henry Harter, seeking to return to the board after a one-term absence, said the board must be more vocal in its advocacy of public education. He said even early literacy is affected by tight budgets that must take funding away from teacher librarians and education support staff and allocate it elsewhere. Asked how much money
the district would need, several candidates echoed the same response: “We will never have enough money to have the kind of education system we want,” said Marion Mussell, who’s seeking her first term on the board. But clearly, said Walt Krahn, a for-mer school prin-cipal looking for a second term, the 2.33 per cent increase in n education funding g over the past few years, is not enough. The district does have some discretion over how it can spend the Learning Fund, which is designed to top up school budgets and address specific needs. That money, said Krahn, should be spent in consultation and collaboration with individual
schools. Because of the tight funds, said incumbent trustee Heather Maahs, every effort must be made to ensure money is being spent efficiently. But should the district seek out corporate dollars to shore up its books? boo Barry Neufeld said, B maybe. Seeking anothmay er tterm on the board, Neufeld said corporate Neu support can be a slipsup slope. “I don’t think it’s pery slope right to use our students as billboards for corporations,” he said. However, there are individual programs like athletics that can benefit from that support. Other candidates were less equivocal.
election!
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