Abbotsford Community Library is having reduced hours due to the teachers’ strike.
According to Fraser Valley Regional Library chief executive officer Rob O’Brennan, library staff are CUPE members and have said they will not cross the teachers’ picket lines.
Abbotsford Library is located within Abbotsford Senior Secondary.
According to O’Brennan, the library will be open from 5 to 9 p.m. most days. Patrons are invited to go to Clearbrook Library during closures, which is two kilometres away on George Ferguson Way, north of city hall. O’Brennan said he has not heard many complaints.
B.C. teachers have been striking since last week. The government says teachers want wage increases and benefits amounting to a 14.5 per cent hike, but educators say they only want an eight per cent salary boost and a signing bonus. Teachers also want the province to set aside $225 million every year for a fund to hire teachers. Efforts to settle the dispute ran onto the rocks on Friday when the independent facilitator who spent more than a year trying to broker a deal resigned.
