Parents send diapers to Liberals MLAs
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Jan, 12, 2003
Parents worried about provincial government budget cuts to four unionized child-care centres in Burnaby have found a novel way to express their disappointment.
The parents are sending clean diapers along with letters of concern to Lynn Stephens, the minister of community, aboriginal and women's services, in the hope of attracting at least some attention to their plight.
"We've tried everything," parent Shannon Wishloff said Thursday. "We've sent letters to the MLAs and the premier, and we've had little or no response at all.
"So we decided it was time to try something a little more creative, and that's why we came up with diapers. Diapers are a universal representation of a child," said Wishloff, whose 15-month- old son Nathan attends the Fair Haven Children's Centre, operated by the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion.
Last month, just one week before Christmas, BACI learned its four child-care centres were facing a $400,000 funding shortfall because of a massive government realignment of child-care services.
While many unlicensed and family-run day cares across B.C. will now receive government funding for the first time, BACI is getting a major funding cut because it had signed onto the 'Munroe agreement,' which allowed the organization to pay union rates to its child-care workers.
Unless some kind of alternative financing is found, BACI will be forced to close all four of its child care centres on March 31, and leave 120 families scrambling to find day care.
Wishloff and other affected parents say the BACI employees deserve higher wage rates because the quality of service in the centres is far superior to anything they found at other non- licensed or family-run child care centres.
"We scoured the Lower Mainland looking for day care, and let me tell you it was a very unhappy experience," said Wishloff, who lives in New Westminster and works in Richmond, while her husband works in downtown Vancouver.
"When I came across Fair Haven, I fell in love with it. They have windows. You wouldn't believe how many centres are stuck in basements or poorly lit portables. This place is so bright and there's room for the kids to move around, so it made me very comfortable."
The Fair Haven centre is also unique in that the children's centre is located on the lower floor of a modern, nine-year-old senior's extended care home. While the children have their own separate programs, space and play area, they also have the option of shared activity time with seniors.
So far, parents have sent about 30 of the diaper-laden letters to minister Stephens, and plans are in the works to continue sending the unusual greetings to more and more government members, until the parents see some sign that their concerns are being heard.
One of the more frustrated parents is Vancouver resident Philip Yu, who was among the first people to speak out against the cuts.
After sending a batch of his own e-mails to almost all the Liberal MLAs, Yu received a prompt reply from a Vancouver area backbencher who invited the parent to a private meeting to discuss the situation.
Yu claims that when the MLA discovered the family did not live in his constituency, he said he could not help anymore, and simply offered to pass on their concerns to the Burnaby MLA closest to the child-care centre.
Yu also claims that the MLA and his constituency assistant both suggested that a Filipino nanny was better than day care anyhow, and that his children were "too young to learn" from the Early Childhood Education graduates who work at the BACI child-care centre.
"He has no understanding of the issues," said an angry Yu, who believes the MLA should have passed his concerns onto the cabinet minister responsible for child-care instead of another backbench MLA.
(The Burnaby NOW was unable to contact the Liberal MLA in question, prior to our weekend deadlines.)
Now, Yu is feeling frustrated and angry about the encounter. "Sure, it was kind of nice to get a quick reply, and I was feeling good that things were on the move. But I feel I'm either getting the run-around or he doesn't know what he's supposed to be doing, or maybe I'm just being avoided completely.
"I'm not impressed. In fact my own MLA has not responded at all. I could understand it if they just had a difference of opinion, but the silence is what I get instead," he said.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Volunteers made the difference
Volunteers made the difference
Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Jan. 8, 2003
They typically toil away without much recognition, but the good volunteers with the Burnaby Citizens Support Services department at city hall had a very busy holiday season.
The group, which co-ordinates virtually all of the city-run volunteer services in Burnaby, held its annual Christmas party for housebound seniors at Willingdon Church last month, and even though the event passed without much recognition at the time, it is worth mentioning their good work.
More than 180 seniors, many of whom do not have any family living nearby, were invited to the dinner, which was sponsored by Chevron Canada and The Beedie Foundation, and supported by Amica at Rideau Manor and Canada Way Lodge.
Besides the dinner and entertainment provided by the Burnaby district children's choir, a total of 68 food baskets were handed out to homebound seniors who otherwise may not have had any special Christmas treats at home.
"It is truly a tribute to all those who give from the heart to know that they have made someone's Christmas a time to remember," said Anne Waller, the acting administrator of CSS.
The Christmas dinner was part of the Outings for the Elderly program. Burnaby Citizens Support Services is kept running by a strong base of more than 200 volunteers in the community. Their mandate is to help people with health issues, problems and disabilities in Burnaby.
Students gave toys
Another holiday highlight came from Montecito school, where at least two classrooms helped to send new toys to children in Third World and developing countries.
Ms. Gaetz's Grade 3 class and Ms. Rusborne's kindergarten class filled 15 shoeboxes with toys for the Samaritan's Purse program, which is run in conjunction with the Christian-based Operation Christmas Child.
An optimistic trend?
Yet another holiday note that was missed during the hullabaloo of the season was the sixth annual distribution of Christmas hampers by the Burnaby Optimists Club.
This year, a politically diverse group of Optimists were on hand for the big event, with helpers ranging from Liberal MLA Harry Bloy to his one-time foe and past NDP candidate Bart Healey.
Among the other volunteer who showed up for the big hamper distribution day were a good number of Burnaby RCMP officers, including Sgt. Doug Ferguson, the current Optimistic club president, and Consts. Ernesto Angeles and Alain Benjamin.
Others on hand for the event included club v-p Nick Kvenich, his son Nickolas Kvenich, community police volunteer Ken Ryan, longtime club member Kim Baylis.
Last year, the Optimists donated more than $40,000 worth of cash and services to a variety of groups and individuals in the city.
"It makes you feel good when you can bring together people in the community to help in providing some Christmas cheer to those that need a helping hand," said the club veep.
Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Jan. 8, 2003
They typically toil away without much recognition, but the good volunteers with the Burnaby Citizens Support Services department at city hall had a very busy holiday season.
The group, which co-ordinates virtually all of the city-run volunteer services in Burnaby, held its annual Christmas party for housebound seniors at Willingdon Church last month, and even though the event passed without much recognition at the time, it is worth mentioning their good work.
More than 180 seniors, many of whom do not have any family living nearby, were invited to the dinner, which was sponsored by Chevron Canada and The Beedie Foundation, and supported by Amica at Rideau Manor and Canada Way Lodge.
Besides the dinner and entertainment provided by the Burnaby district children's choir, a total of 68 food baskets were handed out to homebound seniors who otherwise may not have had any special Christmas treats at home.
"It is truly a tribute to all those who give from the heart to know that they have made someone's Christmas a time to remember," said Anne Waller, the acting administrator of CSS.
The Christmas dinner was part of the Outings for the Elderly program. Burnaby Citizens Support Services is kept running by a strong base of more than 200 volunteers in the community. Their mandate is to help people with health issues, problems and disabilities in Burnaby.
Students gave toys
Another holiday highlight came from Montecito school, where at least two classrooms helped to send new toys to children in Third World and developing countries.
Ms. Gaetz's Grade 3 class and Ms. Rusborne's kindergarten class filled 15 shoeboxes with toys for the Samaritan's Purse program, which is run in conjunction with the Christian-based Operation Christmas Child.
An optimistic trend?
Yet another holiday note that was missed during the hullabaloo of the season was the sixth annual distribution of Christmas hampers by the Burnaby Optimists Club.
This year, a politically diverse group of Optimists were on hand for the big event, with helpers ranging from Liberal MLA Harry Bloy to his one-time foe and past NDP candidate Bart Healey.
Among the other volunteer who showed up for the big hamper distribution day were a good number of Burnaby RCMP officers, including Sgt. Doug Ferguson, the current Optimistic club president, and Consts. Ernesto Angeles and Alain Benjamin.
Others on hand for the event included club v-p Nick Kvenich, his son Nickolas Kvenich, community police volunteer Ken Ryan, longtime club member Kim Baylis.
Last year, the Optimists donated more than $40,000 worth of cash and services to a variety of groups and individuals in the city.
"It makes you feel good when you can bring together people in the community to help in providing some Christmas cheer to those that need a helping hand," said the club veep.
Growing up at Deer Lake
Growing up around Deer Lake is recalled
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 25, 2002
One of Burnaby's most fascinating and respected pioneer families is the focus of a new book written by city historian Harry Pride and published by city hall's community heritage commission this month.
Life With the Moores of Hart House is a 92-page look back at the family that lived in one of the most spectacular heritage homes in the entire city.
"This was a very important time in our history," says Pride. "This was the era before TV, when we had hardly any radios, airplanes or cars. It was a 50-year period that saw tremendous development."
And what better place to reflect on those bygone days than in the midst of one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the entire Lower Mainland.
Originally named 'Avalon' when it was built in 1910 by realtor Frederick Hart, the grand Tudor-style mansion on the east side of the lake was intended to be a family estate, complete with fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries, and vegetable and flower gardens.
The palatial estate captured the eye of retired army major Montague Moore, who moved into the waterfront home with his wife Harriet Ethel Hutchings, and the first of what grew to be a family of seven children.
"The Moores were well known for being kind to lots of people," says Pride. "Their house was the centre of the community - a warm and welcoming place with lots of parties.
"This was also a time when you could leave your doors unlocked. That was the lifestyle then. People had responsibilities and a hopefulness and that gave everyone a lot of freedom."
For Rolie Moore, that freedom extended to the sky when she became the second woman in Canada to earn her pilot's licence. Rolie helped start a pilot school for women in 1941 that had 300 women apply for just 40 spaces, and she even flew aerobatics with famed U.S. barnstormer Tex Rankin.
She was a member of the Flying Seven, a group of female pilots who petitioned the government to serve in the Armed Forces but who settled on dropping leaflets over Vancouver in support of the "boys overseas."
Rolie, who passed away three years ago, has a plane watcher's bench dedicated to her memory at the Pitt Meadows Airport by the "99s," an international alliance of female pilots.
The other focus of the book is youngest son, 81-year-old Dinty Moore, whose matrimonial home on the south side of the lake was sold to the city of Burnaby during the expansion of Deer Lake Park in the late 1990s.
Dinty was the king of canoeing in Burnaby and a lifelong watchdog around the pristine lake.
He says winters were typically colder in the old days, and the lake would frequently freeze up enough for ice skating.
Several pages recount Dinty's many adventures as a canoeist, including his volunteer work as a founding member of the Dogwood Canoe Club.
Much of the book is filled with family photos and other pictures from Burnaby's past, plus a charming 1910 map showing a bird's-eye view of the neighbourhood that was serviced by just two roads - Sperling and Douglas - plus the old Interurban tram line.
The book is chock full of original cartoons by Merv Magus.
The publication came together with much assistance from Dinty and his wife Joan (Sievenpiper), former city councilor Doreen Lawson, and Burnaby NOW columnist Annie Boulanger, who transcribed many hours of taped interviews.
Pride says the work is important because it shows much of what is right with the world.
"The trouble today is people have a lot of freedom, but very little responsibility," says the historian. "What I'm hoping for is that people will see that it was ordinary citizens who took it upon themselves to be responsible that gave us the freedoms we have today."
The first 100 copies of Life with the Moores of Hart House is almost sold out, but a second printing is expected soon. The book will be sold at Burnaby city hall and the Burnaby Village Museum.
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 25, 2002
One of Burnaby's most fascinating and respected pioneer families is the focus of a new book written by city historian Harry Pride and published by city hall's community heritage commission this month.
Life With the Moores of Hart House is a 92-page look back at the family that lived in one of the most spectacular heritage homes in the entire city.
"This was a very important time in our history," says Pride. "This was the era before TV, when we had hardly any radios, airplanes or cars. It was a 50-year period that saw tremendous development."
And what better place to reflect on those bygone days than in the midst of one of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the entire Lower Mainland.
Originally named 'Avalon' when it was built in 1910 by realtor Frederick Hart, the grand Tudor-style mansion on the east side of the lake was intended to be a family estate, complete with fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries, and vegetable and flower gardens.
The palatial estate captured the eye of retired army major Montague Moore, who moved into the waterfront home with his wife Harriet Ethel Hutchings, and the first of what grew to be a family of seven children.
"The Moores were well known for being kind to lots of people," says Pride. "Their house was the centre of the community - a warm and welcoming place with lots of parties.
"This was also a time when you could leave your doors unlocked. That was the lifestyle then. People had responsibilities and a hopefulness and that gave everyone a lot of freedom."
For Rolie Moore, that freedom extended to the sky when she became the second woman in Canada to earn her pilot's licence. Rolie helped start a pilot school for women in 1941 that had 300 women apply for just 40 spaces, and she even flew aerobatics with famed U.S. barnstormer Tex Rankin.
She was a member of the Flying Seven, a group of female pilots who petitioned the government to serve in the Armed Forces but who settled on dropping leaflets over Vancouver in support of the "boys overseas."
Rolie, who passed away three years ago, has a plane watcher's bench dedicated to her memory at the Pitt Meadows Airport by the "99s," an international alliance of female pilots.
The other focus of the book is youngest son, 81-year-old Dinty Moore, whose matrimonial home on the south side of the lake was sold to the city of Burnaby during the expansion of Deer Lake Park in the late 1990s.
Dinty was the king of canoeing in Burnaby and a lifelong watchdog around the pristine lake.
He says winters were typically colder in the old days, and the lake would frequently freeze up enough for ice skating.
Several pages recount Dinty's many adventures as a canoeist, including his volunteer work as a founding member of the Dogwood Canoe Club.
Much of the book is filled with family photos and other pictures from Burnaby's past, plus a charming 1910 map showing a bird's-eye view of the neighbourhood that was serviced by just two roads - Sperling and Douglas - plus the old Interurban tram line.
The book is chock full of original cartoons by Merv Magus.
The publication came together with much assistance from Dinty and his wife Joan (Sievenpiper), former city councilor Doreen Lawson, and Burnaby NOW columnist Annie Boulanger, who transcribed many hours of taped interviews.
Pride says the work is important because it shows much of what is right with the world.
"The trouble today is people have a lot of freedom, but very little responsibility," says the historian. "What I'm hoping for is that people will see that it was ordinary citizens who took it upon themselves to be responsible that gave us the freedoms we have today."
The first 100 copies of Life with the Moores of Hart House is almost sold out, but a second printing is expected soon. The book will be sold at Burnaby city hall and the Burnaby Village Museum.
Cuts may force care closures
Cuts may force care closures
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 22, 2002
Six different child-care programs operated by one of the city's best known social service agencies are in danger of being shut down because of an unexpected provincial budget cut announced last week.
And unless a nearly $400,000 funding shortfall is made up through pay cuts for the child-care workers and/or increased fees to parents, a total of 120 families could lose their day care.
"If this goes ahead we'll have no choice except to shut everything down," said Jack Styan, executive director of the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion. "And if we close, we lose the second largest child-care provider in Burnaby."
The impending closure comes because the provincial government has decided not to continue paying union rates to the BACI child-care employees after their current negotiated agreement expires next spring.
"We found out in late October they weren't going to fund our collective agreement, and at that point they said 'don't worry,' they were just taking three streams of money and rolling it into one," Styan said Wednesday afternoon.
But last week, when the province announced the new child-care funding plan - a proposal is supposed to create an additional 25,000 child-care spaces in British Columbia - they gave BACI a funding cut of $386,000.
"They're giving the same amount per space, per child across the province, irrespective of the agency," Styan said. "That poses a very significant problem for us, because our collective agreement remains in force after March 31."
Styan said BACI is being treated differently than other child care operators because their employees are unionized. (The society, formerly the Burnaby Association for the Mentally Handicapped, is best known for its work with people with developmental disabilities.)
During the last round of negotiations, the province and BACI agreed to pay its day care workers the same union rates as the society's other employees - about $16.83 per hour - under a deal known as the 'Monroe agreement.'
Styan said other 'stand-alone' child care operators in Burnaby, such as at Simon Fraser University or the B.C. Hydro Hanna Court operations, were told that their funding was not guaranteed after the current union contracts expired, so they had bridging provisions built into their collective agreements.
But not for BACI.
"As a small community association, we're left holding the bag," Styan said. "We have no option except to close our doors."
But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services said the funding cut is an attempt to create a level playing field for all child care operators in the province.
"This government could not continue to maintain the Monroe agreement that was set up by the previous government," said Deborah Bowman, the ministry's assistant director of communications in Victoria. "Unfortunately, it does impact 39 agencies in the province and this organization (BACI) is one of them.
"We understand it is difficult for them, but this whole funding arrangement was not sustainable," she said. "The changes to child care are to make it more equitable, balanced and fair for all the child care organizations across the province."
She noted that the Nov. 27 announcement guaranteed funding for 4,500 day care operators around the province. Of those, 1,400 will receive government funding for the first time, about 600 will get increases, while 39 organizations, including BACI, get cuts.
Bowman also said she could not explain why Styan and other BACI administrators were told not to worry about the possible changes until last week.
"I can't comment on that," she said. "My understanding is that the 39 agencies were all aware of this. I don't know who told them not to worry about that."
Meanwhile, Stacey Kessler is one of about 50 BACI day care employees who face a job loss or pay cut of almost 30 per cent because of the impending change.
"It's pretty scary because everything is so uncertain," said Kessler, an early childhood educator who works at the Variety Hotelier House Children's Centre. "It kind of tells us that our government doesn't value children or families very much."
Kessler, who has worked for BACI for eight years, said the union pay rates are simply fair wages for skilled work.
"At a non-union shop there will be no sick time for employees, fewer people to care for the children, no benefits and significantly lower wages. It's hard to work like that and raise a family," said Kessler, who has a two-year-old child.
"But I do love this job," she adds. "It's fun working with kids and their families, educating them for life and later on. It's an important job."
Her views are shared by Jas Sidhu, the manager of child care services for BACI.
Sidhu said most of her employees have at least two years of training in early childhood education before starting work, and that the pay cut at BACI will simply allow the government open up more non-unionized child care spaces.
"The government says they're expanding space, but what they're doing is taking money from the unionized sites, and divvying it up elsewhere."
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 22, 2002
Six different child-care programs operated by one of the city's best known social service agencies are in danger of being shut down because of an unexpected provincial budget cut announced last week.
And unless a nearly $400,000 funding shortfall is made up through pay cuts for the child-care workers and/or increased fees to parents, a total of 120 families could lose their day care.
"If this goes ahead we'll have no choice except to shut everything down," said Jack Styan, executive director of the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion. "And if we close, we lose the second largest child-care provider in Burnaby."
The impending closure comes because the provincial government has decided not to continue paying union rates to the BACI child-care employees after their current negotiated agreement expires next spring.
"We found out in late October they weren't going to fund our collective agreement, and at that point they said 'don't worry,' they were just taking three streams of money and rolling it into one," Styan said Wednesday afternoon.
But last week, when the province announced the new child-care funding plan - a proposal is supposed to create an additional 25,000 child-care spaces in British Columbia - they gave BACI a funding cut of $386,000.
"They're giving the same amount per space, per child across the province, irrespective of the agency," Styan said. "That poses a very significant problem for us, because our collective agreement remains in force after March 31."
Styan said BACI is being treated differently than other child care operators because their employees are unionized. (The society, formerly the Burnaby Association for the Mentally Handicapped, is best known for its work with people with developmental disabilities.)
During the last round of negotiations, the province and BACI agreed to pay its day care workers the same union rates as the society's other employees - about $16.83 per hour - under a deal known as the 'Monroe agreement.'
Styan said other 'stand-alone' child care operators in Burnaby, such as at Simon Fraser University or the B.C. Hydro Hanna Court operations, were told that their funding was not guaranteed after the current union contracts expired, so they had bridging provisions built into their collective agreements.
But not for BACI.
"As a small community association, we're left holding the bag," Styan said. "We have no option except to close our doors."
But a spokesperson for the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services said the funding cut is an attempt to create a level playing field for all child care operators in the province.
"This government could not continue to maintain the Monroe agreement that was set up by the previous government," said Deborah Bowman, the ministry's assistant director of communications in Victoria. "Unfortunately, it does impact 39 agencies in the province and this organization (BACI) is one of them.
"We understand it is difficult for them, but this whole funding arrangement was not sustainable," she said. "The changes to child care are to make it more equitable, balanced and fair for all the child care organizations across the province."
She noted that the Nov. 27 announcement guaranteed funding for 4,500 day care operators around the province. Of those, 1,400 will receive government funding for the first time, about 600 will get increases, while 39 organizations, including BACI, get cuts.
Bowman also said she could not explain why Styan and other BACI administrators were told not to worry about the possible changes until last week.
"I can't comment on that," she said. "My understanding is that the 39 agencies were all aware of this. I don't know who told them not to worry about that."
Meanwhile, Stacey Kessler is one of about 50 BACI day care employees who face a job loss or pay cut of almost 30 per cent because of the impending change.
"It's pretty scary because everything is so uncertain," said Kessler, an early childhood educator who works at the Variety Hotelier House Children's Centre. "It kind of tells us that our government doesn't value children or families very much."
Kessler, who has worked for BACI for eight years, said the union pay rates are simply fair wages for skilled work.
"At a non-union shop there will be no sick time for employees, fewer people to care for the children, no benefits and significantly lower wages. It's hard to work like that and raise a family," said Kessler, who has a two-year-old child.
"But I do love this job," she adds. "It's fun working with kids and their families, educating them for life and later on. It's an important job."
Her views are shared by Jas Sidhu, the manager of child care services for BACI.
Sidhu said most of her employees have at least two years of training in early childhood education before starting work, and that the pay cut at BACI will simply allow the government open up more non-unionized child care spaces.
"The government says they're expanding space, but what they're doing is taking money from the unionized sites, and divvying it up elsewhere."
Parents ponder choices
Parents ponder choices
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 22, 2002
Quit work or what?
That is the question on the minds of some parents who have children in the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion child care centres this week, after learning their day care arrangements may be in jeopardy because of provincial budget cuts.
"I can't afford a fee increase," said single mother Cathy Hingston, whose seven-year-old daughter attends before and after school care at BACI's 12th Avenue child care centre. "I already lost almost all of my day care subsidy in April. Without day care, I won't be able to work, so there's even a possibility I may even have to go on welfare.
"This is death by a thousand cuts," she said. "Every time I get a one per cent raise at work, my day care subsidy goes down.
"And I don't even qualify for before and after school care because I make too much money," said the financial service worker who earns about $25,000 .
Of three families who agreed to be interviewed for this story, Hingston has the most difficult child care arrangements.
A resident of the Metrotown area, she and her daughter wake up at 6 a.m. each day to begin their routine. At 7:30 a.m., she drops her daughter off at the child care centre near New Westminster before parking near the SkyTrain for the commute downtown to her job at a financial institution. While mom is at work, her daughter gets dropped off and picked up at school by the BACI employees, then at just before 6 p.m., mom arrives back at 12th Avenue to pick up her daughter and head home, where they have dinner and then prepare for an 8 p.m. bedtime.
"It's a daily grind, and I'm not the only one doing it," Hingston said. "It's hard, and it doesn't leave a lot of time for my daughter and I to spend together."
Another parent who may be forced to quit work to look after her own children is Lesley Lopez, a single mother of three children, who works as a kindergarten teacher.
"I'm very upset," Lopez said. "I think it's terrible. The government is saying that this wonderful new funding formula will create all these new child care spaces, but these excellent centres will be forced to close.
"Sure, I may be able to find new child care, but it won't be anywhere near the quality of what I get at Fairhaven."
And those comments were echoed by Phillip Yu, who said finding quality day care arrangements such as those offered by BACI was not easy.
"My wife almost didn't go back to work because of the day care centres we saw," he said. "A lot of them were dirty or else they just drop the kids in front of a TV."
Yu also disagrees with the philosophy behind the changes. "They're taking the $16/hour jobs away from qualified people and creating twice as many jobs by paying minimal wages.
"That's not creating jobs. That's taking money from one group of people and just giving it to somebody else. At the end of the day, they're just forcing child care workers to earn minimal wage. And I don't think $16/ hour is too much to ask for the schooling these people need and the care that they give."
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 22, 2002
Quit work or what?
That is the question on the minds of some parents who have children in the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion child care centres this week, after learning their day care arrangements may be in jeopardy because of provincial budget cuts.
"I can't afford a fee increase," said single mother Cathy Hingston, whose seven-year-old daughter attends before and after school care at BACI's 12th Avenue child care centre. "I already lost almost all of my day care subsidy in April. Without day care, I won't be able to work, so there's even a possibility I may even have to go on welfare.
"This is death by a thousand cuts," she said. "Every time I get a one per cent raise at work, my day care subsidy goes down.
"And I don't even qualify for before and after school care because I make too much money," said the financial service worker who earns about $25,000 .
Of three families who agreed to be interviewed for this story, Hingston has the most difficult child care arrangements.
A resident of the Metrotown area, she and her daughter wake up at 6 a.m. each day to begin their routine. At 7:30 a.m., she drops her daughter off at the child care centre near New Westminster before parking near the SkyTrain for the commute downtown to her job at a financial institution. While mom is at work, her daughter gets dropped off and picked up at school by the BACI employees, then at just before 6 p.m., mom arrives back at 12th Avenue to pick up her daughter and head home, where they have dinner and then prepare for an 8 p.m. bedtime.
"It's a daily grind, and I'm not the only one doing it," Hingston said. "It's hard, and it doesn't leave a lot of time for my daughter and I to spend together."
Another parent who may be forced to quit work to look after her own children is Lesley Lopez, a single mother of three children, who works as a kindergarten teacher.
"I'm very upset," Lopez said. "I think it's terrible. The government is saying that this wonderful new funding formula will create all these new child care spaces, but these excellent centres will be forced to close.
"Sure, I may be able to find new child care, but it won't be anywhere near the quality of what I get at Fairhaven."
And those comments were echoed by Phillip Yu, who said finding quality day care arrangements such as those offered by BACI was not easy.
"My wife almost didn't go back to work because of the day care centres we saw," he said. "A lot of them were dirty or else they just drop the kids in front of a TV."
Yu also disagrees with the philosophy behind the changes. "They're taking the $16/hour jobs away from qualified people and creating twice as many jobs by paying minimal wages.
"That's not creating jobs. That's taking money from one group of people and just giving it to somebody else. At the end of the day, they're just forcing child care workers to earn minimal wage. And I don't think $16/ hour is too much to ask for the schooling these people need and the care that they give."
Burnaby Lake in the B.C. spotlight
Here and Now column by Dan Hilborn
Published Dec. 15, 2002
Naysayers who are opposed to city council's plans to dredge Burnaby Lake may want to take a peek at the most recent edition of the internationally-acclaimed British Columbia Magazine.
The winter 2002 issue, now on newsstands, features a four-page article on our local wildlife treasure, chock full of the magazine's trademark beautiful photos of our local nature park.
The magazine, which has worldwide distribution and recently won 10 separate awards from the International Regional Magazine Association, described the Burnaby Lake regional park as "the best little duck pond in British Columbia."
Of course, the lake is rapidly filling in with silt, and environmentalists are worried that this rare wildlife habitat in the midst of an urban community may soon disappear unless the dredging program begins soon.
The article, written by Bruce Obee, tells of coyotes searching for food and how the large lake carp can actually gobble down the tiny Canada goose goslings that begin their lives on the marshes and reeds that surround the lake waters.
MARCHING TO THEIR OWN BEAT
The 50-member Burnaby North secondary marching band has again earned the Best School Band trophy at the annual Santa Claus Parade held in downtown New Westminster last weekend.
This is the third year in a row that the band has won the award, and apparently, the weather was a whole lot more enjoyable this time when compared to last year.
Peter Wenzek, teacher sponsor of the band, says Burnaby North has one of very few school marching bands in the Lower Mainland, and finding the right equipment is not easy during these days of tighter budgets.
"We have virtually no marching equipment," Wenzek told a reporter who once spent his winter school days marching around a snow- covered track with a sousaphone wrapped around his shoulders. "We're pulling small miracles around here. We have no formal uniforms, and no budget."
The Burnaby North marching band is now checking into plans to march in the Hats Off Day parade on Hastings Street next summer, and some of its members performed at the premier screening of the new movie 'Drumline' at Silver City Metropolis on Friday.
Anyone with a spare sousaphone or percussion instruments around can call Wenzek at the school, 664-8550 ext 272.
HONOURS FOR BLOCK PARENTS
A Burnaby resident who's been a mainstay for the Block Parent program across the entire province for almost two decades was awarded the Queens' Golden Jubilee medal at a ceremony in New Westminster this week.
Gail Yip, who first joined Block Parents in 1983, was among six people who were presented the commemorative medals by MP Paul Forseth and BC Block Parent Society president Shelley Sweeney.
Gail first joined the program when her own children were small, and she just stayed on over the years because of the incredible good work done by the program.
Over the years, she's served as a volunteer, school coordinator, area coordinator, publicity coordinator and director for the association, and this year she is the first vice-president of BC BPS.
And that's not all. Gail is also active in the BC Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Salvation Army.
HARRY SENDS CASH
Instead of sending out Christmas cards this holiday season, local MLA Harry Bloy donated $2,000 to a group of six local charities.
Bloy, who represents the Burquitlam riding, gave his hard-earned cash to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau, the Burnaby Optimist Club, Coquitlam Kinettes, Cottonwood Connections, Jimmy Christmas Hamper Fund and the Northeast Burnaby Community Association.
The cheques were handed out during a special ceremony at Harry's Clarke Road constituency office earlier this month.
COATS FOR KIDS FROM CURTIS
Kudos are due to the good folks at Curtis Lumber, who were probably the greatest single contributors to the seventh annual Coats for Kids campaign organized by the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association.
Collection boxes were set up at both Curtis Lumber locations in the city late last month, and after just two weeks, the staff, customers and friends had donated a whopping total of more than 100 warm coats for needy kids and teenagers.
"Every year they collect more and more coats," said GVHBA executive director Peter Simpson. "They really get involved in this and, let's face it, they don't have to do this."
Curtis Lumbers' donation is one of the main reasons the campaign collected more than 1,900 warm coats this year, more than double the number collected last year.
Other collection boxes were set up by local renovation company TQ Construction, and at the Elgin Street sales office of Intracorp Developments.
All coats will be taken to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau for distribution to families across the region.
MARKING THE DAYS
Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland are holding one of their largest fundraisers at Brentwood Town Centre this holiday season.
The group is selling their inspirational 2003 Contest Calendar for Big Sisters at a special kiosk inside the shopping centre.
The 15-month calendar includes inspirational sayings and pictures, plus 52 chances, one for each week of the year plus a grand prize, for the chance to win prizes valued at over $15,000.
The calendars will be on sale until Christmas Eve. All proceeds go back into the organization which currently has 33 matched Big and Little Sisters in Burnaby, plus more on the waiting lists.
A SCARY TALE
Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for the rebel in your family?
The Haven: A True Story of Life in the Hole is the autobiography of Richard Dube, a convicted murderer, who robbed a motel in Burnaby en route to a long stint of inside Canada's most notorious prisons.
Dube's story, $10.99 from Harper Collins, gives a frightful look into Canada's prison system and what terrors await those who cross to the other side of the law.
The book would be a real eye-opener for anyone who believes that Canada's prisons have turned into country clubs.
Published Dec. 15, 2002
Naysayers who are opposed to city council's plans to dredge Burnaby Lake may want to take a peek at the most recent edition of the internationally-acclaimed British Columbia Magazine.
The winter 2002 issue, now on newsstands, features a four-page article on our local wildlife treasure, chock full of the magazine's trademark beautiful photos of our local nature park.
The magazine, which has worldwide distribution and recently won 10 separate awards from the International Regional Magazine Association, described the Burnaby Lake regional park as "the best little duck pond in British Columbia."
Of course, the lake is rapidly filling in with silt, and environmentalists are worried that this rare wildlife habitat in the midst of an urban community may soon disappear unless the dredging program begins soon.
The article, written by Bruce Obee, tells of coyotes searching for food and how the large lake carp can actually gobble down the tiny Canada goose goslings that begin their lives on the marshes and reeds that surround the lake waters.
MARCHING TO THEIR OWN BEAT
The 50-member Burnaby North secondary marching band has again earned the Best School Band trophy at the annual Santa Claus Parade held in downtown New Westminster last weekend.
This is the third year in a row that the band has won the award, and apparently, the weather was a whole lot more enjoyable this time when compared to last year.
Peter Wenzek, teacher sponsor of the band, says Burnaby North has one of very few school marching bands in the Lower Mainland, and finding the right equipment is not easy during these days of tighter budgets.
"We have virtually no marching equipment," Wenzek told a reporter who once spent his winter school days marching around a snow- covered track with a sousaphone wrapped around his shoulders. "We're pulling small miracles around here. We have no formal uniforms, and no budget."
The Burnaby North marching band is now checking into plans to march in the Hats Off Day parade on Hastings Street next summer, and some of its members performed at the premier screening of the new movie 'Drumline' at Silver City Metropolis on Friday.
Anyone with a spare sousaphone or percussion instruments around can call Wenzek at the school, 664-8550 ext 272.
HONOURS FOR BLOCK PARENTS
A Burnaby resident who's been a mainstay for the Block Parent program across the entire province for almost two decades was awarded the Queens' Golden Jubilee medal at a ceremony in New Westminster this week.
Gail Yip, who first joined Block Parents in 1983, was among six people who were presented the commemorative medals by MP Paul Forseth and BC Block Parent Society president Shelley Sweeney.
Gail first joined the program when her own children were small, and she just stayed on over the years because of the incredible good work done by the program.
Over the years, she's served as a volunteer, school coordinator, area coordinator, publicity coordinator and director for the association, and this year she is the first vice-president of BC BPS.
And that's not all. Gail is also active in the BC Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Salvation Army.
HARRY SENDS CASH
Instead of sending out Christmas cards this holiday season, local MLA Harry Bloy donated $2,000 to a group of six local charities.
Bloy, who represents the Burquitlam riding, gave his hard-earned cash to the Burnaby Christmas Bureau, the Burnaby Optimist Club, Coquitlam Kinettes, Cottonwood Connections, Jimmy Christmas Hamper Fund and the Northeast Burnaby Community Association.
The cheques were handed out during a special ceremony at Harry's Clarke Road constituency office earlier this month.
COATS FOR KIDS FROM CURTIS
Kudos are due to the good folks at Curtis Lumber, who were probably the greatest single contributors to the seventh annual Coats for Kids campaign organized by the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association.
Collection boxes were set up at both Curtis Lumber locations in the city late last month, and after just two weeks, the staff, customers and friends had donated a whopping total of more than 100 warm coats for needy kids and teenagers.
"Every year they collect more and more coats," said GVHBA executive director Peter Simpson. "They really get involved in this and, let's face it, they don't have to do this."
Curtis Lumbers' donation is one of the main reasons the campaign collected more than 1,900 warm coats this year, more than double the number collected last year.
Other collection boxes were set up by local renovation company TQ Construction, and at the Elgin Street sales office of Intracorp Developments.
All coats will be taken to the Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau for distribution to families across the region.
MARKING THE DAYS
Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland are holding one of their largest fundraisers at Brentwood Town Centre this holiday season.
The group is selling their inspirational 2003 Contest Calendar for Big Sisters at a special kiosk inside the shopping centre.
The 15-month calendar includes inspirational sayings and pictures, plus 52 chances, one for each week of the year plus a grand prize, for the chance to win prizes valued at over $15,000.
The calendars will be on sale until Christmas Eve. All proceeds go back into the organization which currently has 33 matched Big and Little Sisters in Burnaby, plus more on the waiting lists.
A SCARY TALE
Looking for the perfect stocking stuffer for the rebel in your family?
The Haven: A True Story of Life in the Hole is the autobiography of Richard Dube, a convicted murderer, who robbed a motel in Burnaby en route to a long stint of inside Canada's most notorious prisons.
Dube's story, $10.99 from Harper Collins, gives a frightful look into Canada's prison system and what terrors await those who cross to the other side of the law.
The book would be a real eye-opener for anyone who believes that Canada's prisons have turned into country clubs.
Car fire forces school to scrub out gymnasium
Car fire forces school to scrub out gymnasium
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 15, 2002
Cleanup crews and maintenance workers have been scrubbing residue off the walls and using heavy-duty fans to blow the smoky smell out of the 'large gym' after a fire at Alpha secondary last week.
The repairs have been ongoing since a stolen car was set on fire outside the gymnasium's doors in the early hours of Dec. 5, confirmed school board spokesperson David Wiebe.
"There was no damage to the school, but the smoke seeped in close to the doors of the gymnasium," Wiebe said. "We had the fans in there, but that's tricky work because of the high ceiling, and the air doesn't flow out that easily."
The stolen 2000 Honda Civic was apparently raced around the school before being abandoned near the doors of the gymnasium and set on fire. Neighbours who heard the commotion and saw the fire called the police and fire departments around 4 a.m.
Wiebe said the disruption to students was not as serious as it otherwise might have been because Alpha does have a second smaller gym. However, physical education classes were forced to relocate and several school basketball games were either rescheduled or played elsewhere.
The disruption also affected rehearsals for the Christmas concert.
The total cost of the cleanup work is estimated at about $10,000, Wiebe said.
The fire did little to slow down the Alpha senior boys' basketball team, whose Monday afternoon game was relocated to the gym of their crosstown rival Burnaby Mountain secondary. The Alpha Aztecs still won the game by a convincing 101-55 score.
By Dan Hilborn, Burnaby NOW assistant editor
Published Dec. 15, 2002
Cleanup crews and maintenance workers have been scrubbing residue off the walls and using heavy-duty fans to blow the smoky smell out of the 'large gym' after a fire at Alpha secondary last week.
The repairs have been ongoing since a stolen car was set on fire outside the gymnasium's doors in the early hours of Dec. 5, confirmed school board spokesperson David Wiebe.
"There was no damage to the school, but the smoke seeped in close to the doors of the gymnasium," Wiebe said. "We had the fans in there, but that's tricky work because of the high ceiling, and the air doesn't flow out that easily."
The stolen 2000 Honda Civic was apparently raced around the school before being abandoned near the doors of the gymnasium and set on fire. Neighbours who heard the commotion and saw the fire called the police and fire departments around 4 a.m.
Wiebe said the disruption to students was not as serious as it otherwise might have been because Alpha does have a second smaller gym. However, physical education classes were forced to relocate and several school basketball games were either rescheduled or played elsewhere.
The disruption also affected rehearsals for the Christmas concert.
The total cost of the cleanup work is estimated at about $10,000, Wiebe said.
The fire did little to slow down the Alpha senior boys' basketball team, whose Monday afternoon game was relocated to the gym of their crosstown rival Burnaby Mountain secondary. The Alpha Aztecs still won the game by a convincing 101-55 score.
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