To The Honourable Christie Clark: We heard the announcement that the government will be providing families with children under the age of 13 $40 per day for everyday the teachers’ strike continues into the school year.
We also understand that this money can be used for child care or tutoring.
In terms of child care, we agree that parents of children this age could be looking at financial hardships if they have to pay ongoing childcare expenses when their children would/should otherwise be in school. But what about those families with special needs children over the age of 12? They too will require care for their children when they would have otherwise been in school. Tutoring was mentioned as an optional way to use the funds provided.
Why are only children under the age of 13 being offered this option? It seems to me that children of this age are in a far better position to “catch up” on lost instructional time over the years that follow.
In our opinion it is the older students, particularly the Grade 12 students who are working towards graduating and post-secondary education, that require the additional educational support to ensure they meet these goals. Unlike the younger students, these students are going into their final year of public school so catching up on lost instructional time will be much more difficult. Clearly the most efficient solution is to have students back to school Sept. 2.
Susan and Pieter Koster
Penticton
*****
Praise for volunteers
What would we do without them in Penticton?
Having lived here for over 30 years, I have seen their dedication.
Many thanks to Meals on Wheels and the volunteers who deliver them regularly rain or shine.
Many thanks to the folks at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church who are giving and caring and have helped me in so many ways.
Without volunteers it would be a much more lonely life for many folks here.
Salute a volunteer!
Bless them.
Frances Bradley
Penticton
*****
Caring people still out there
There are still people out there that go the extra mile to lend a helping hand.
Just before recent thunder storm hit, my wife’s electric wheelchair quit on Government Street and we were caught in the rain and soon soaked.
A young woman with a toddler in her arms saw us and crossed the road in the pouring rain with the toddler in her arms to lend us an umbrella. Unfortunately we did not get her name, but will return the umbrella to her one day when I drive up to Haven Hill to visit my wife.
So nice to know there are so many good, caring people living here.
Bob Richards
Penticton
*****
Who will care for the workers?
I hesitate to write this but some things must be looked into and not avoided. I recently read a story that caused me some concern and at least a small amount of grief about government supporting a report calling for better workplace investigations.
Does WorkSafe BC or Shirley Bond care about those workers who died? Are there any caring people in our B.C. and Canadian governments or are they all secretly psychopaths with no care and concern for those who are in harm’s way due to the greed and incompetence displayed by some/many/all corporations?
It should be a given that any accident that results in death at any corporation (whether a mine or an office) should be first and foremost treated as a criminal investigation of at least criminal negligence. Not to generalize, but are we not all aware of the sordid history of most/all corporations and their attempts to exploit their staff and innocent bystanders as well as bust unions?
These are not scary fairy tales read to kids by grandparents or parents, but historical reality. I’ve worked for at least two corporations who arguably were criminally negligent but because of a lack of support or information for staff, these corporations got off without punishment thanks to the endless stream of corporation kissing governments in B.C. Neither the police nor the government are there for the workers who suffer and sometimes die at the hands of greedy, incompetent managers whether they are in doughnut companies, security companies, automotive corporations or any other corporate entity.
Patrick Longworth
Penticton
