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With co-operative gains unions risk taking blame for cuts

The co-operative gains mandate creates a dynamic where public sector unions risk being blamed for cuts, says the president of a local that recently completed an agreement. Read more…

 

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UBC challenged to fund wage increases through operational efficiencies

The University of British Columbia is drawing on savings found in the past two years to fund wage increases for union members, but finding the money is a challenge, a university spokesperson said. Read more…

Reports on suicide pact get it wrong: VSB Chair Bacchus

Vancouver School Board Chair Patti Bacchus says suicide pact involved just a few students from Britannia Secondary School, and that much of the information reported on the so-called suicide pact at Britannia Secondary school, including in The Tyee, is incorrect. Read more…

Aboriginal organization blames suicide pact on 'apartheid' service delivery

The recently discovered suicide pact between mostly Aboriginal students at Britannia Secondary School is just a "symptom" of an "apartheid system" of separate services for urban Aboriginal people in Vancouver, says Scott Clark, coordinator of the Aboriginal Life In Vancouver Enhancement Society (ALIVE). Read more…

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Great Schools Project seeks public input on assessment ideas

After a year and a half of fine-tuning its ideas for assessing schools fairly, the Great Schools Project is inviting the public to give feedback on the project's answer to "how good is my school?" Read more…

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Paul Martin supports Aboriginal youth entrepreneurs in Vancouver

Former prime minister Paul Martin spoke to Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth at Britiannia Secondary School this morning about the importance of a groundbreaking Aboriginal entrepreneurship course he helped pilot at the school. Read more…

BC coalition appeals to Facebook to address 'security failures'

"Facebook has become a brand feared by parents, when it should be one they can trust." That's the message a coalition of B.C. advocates, policymakers and parents, including the mother of Amanda Todd, shared with Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg in an open letter sent Nov. 14. Read more…

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Use research, genetics to improve help for mistreated children, study says

Governments need to do a better job of tracking and pinpointing which of a myriad of social programs would best help children cope with abuse in their early years, says a study released Thursday. Read more…

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BC Education Ministry seeks public input on grad requirements

A Vancouver School Board community forum on graduation requirements will be one of many consultations school districts will hold to inform the Ministry of Education's transformation of graduation in B.C. Read more…

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Vancouver conference questions corporate donations for schools

What's the difference between corporate advertising and thanking a corporation for donating to a school? That issue is just one problem with charity in public education that will be discussed at the Justice, Not Charity conference happening in Vancouver tomorrow. Read more…

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Students upset about class with over 50 kids

Gladstone Secondary School students are upset about a leadership class with over 50 students. But the Vancouver School district says the size is manageable. Read more…

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Anti-bullying expert defends memo sent to BC school district on bullying video

VANCOUVER -- An anti-bullying expert is defending a memo she co-authored that cautioned school districts around British Columbia about showing classes a YouTube video shot by Amanda Todd before her suicide.

Theresa Campbell helped write the memo only days after the 15-year-old from Port Coquitlam, B.C., died. The memo advised school districts that it was "preferable" teachers didn't show Todd's video, while also offering advice on what steps should be taken if teachers chose to show it. Read more…

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BC university presidents seek funding for spaces and financial aid

The presidents of British Columbia's major universities are asking the province for money to create new post-secondary spaces and increase financial aid for students. Read more…

UVic trimming departmental budgets to pay for wage increases

Money for raises at the University of Victoria will be found through an ongoing process of cutting budgets throughout the institution, spokesperson Bruce Kilpatrick said. Read more…

BC medical researchers encouraged to seek US military funding

An industry group and a Canadian government agency will host a workshop next month on the University of British Columbia campus to encourage researchers to compete for contracts from the United States military. Read more…

Government put BCTF on scholarship committee without asking: Lambert

Eligibility for the newly-announced Pathway to Teacher Training Scholarship will be determined by a committee including the BC Teachers' Federation, but union president Susan Lambert says government did not ask before appointing the teachers' union to the committee. Read more…

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Government contradicts First Nations ed underfunding claims

A background document released by Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada seems to contradict First Nations advocate claims that on-reserve education is underfunded. But calculations include students funded to attend provincial and public schools, too. Read more…

Updated: BCTF says education funding below national average

Education funding and student-to-teacher ratio needs to at least meet the national average, teachers' union will tell the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services this afternoon. Read more…

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Joint UBC-Langara program aimed at aboriginal students

A new joint program between the University of British Columbia and Langara College offers aboriginal people a different pathway into the University's faculty of arts. Read more…

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Furlong's co-author Mason says he was told nothing about Burns Lake

A story by Ontario journalist Laura Robinson published by the Georgia Straight on Sept. 27 alleges that several of Vancouver 2010 Olympic CEO John Furlong's ex-students have filed affidavits claiming he abused them while he taught at Prince George Catholic school in the 1970s. Read more…