New Greenhouse For Students
I wish to acknowledge the groups and individuals in Cranbrook that were instrumental in helping us build a greenhouse at the Steeples Elementary School this spring.
By next spring the children will be able to start plants in their own classroom or in the greenhouse.
Our program goal is to help children find out where their daily food originates. Growing their own food is a great step in helping children associate their food with agriculture with hands-on activities and helping our province gain food sustainability and availability.
A special thank you to Columbia Basin Trust, RDEK Area C members, the Cranbrook Rotary Club, the East Kootenay Community Credit Union, and three special members of the Sunrise Rotary Club — Colleen Birmell, Frank Vanden Broek, and Percy Davis for their contributions to make this possible.
Also a special thank you to Steve Wilson of Wasa Building and Hardware for constructing the building on site.
This project was part of our program “Agriculture in the Classroom” sponsored by the Kootenay Livestock Association. Thanks again, Cranbrook.
Karen Barraclough for “Agriculture in the Classroom” and the Kootenay Livestock Association
Unhelpful and Inappropriate
I was offended by the misogynistic, flippant comment made by Winston Blackmore’s attorney Blair Suffredine, regarding the appropriateness of his sentence for his conviction of polygamy. It reflects poorly on the expected educational and societal standards of our community, and diminishes the gravity and importance of the issues in this case.
Anton Chekhov wrote that slavery will never vanish from the Earth, it will simply change its face. Trafficking girls and young women across borders into marriages for religious purposes, raises many red flags in our society. Multiple marriages and questions around what qualifies as “consent” are at issue here. The appropriate compensation for work done by family members doing the same jobs as paid labourers in Mr. Blackmore’s businesses, and the laws ensuring this happens, is an issue.
Questions arise regarding the funding of the Bountiful community and its private education system. What types of welfare, unemployment and tax dollars have been used to fund its existence and development? Have appropriate taxes been paid by Mr. Blackmore for his private businesses and community earnings? Many of these issues raise questions that have not been reported on, or answered.
I expect our justice system to thoroughly examine all of these related issues and ensure that the citizens of B.C. and Canada are protected by laws that adequately address them. Making comments that foster outdated stereotypes of social roles based on sex are, in my view, unhelpful and inappropriate.
Wendy Turner/Cranbrook
