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Virus Mutation MOGD Strikes Down Old Boys

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Virus Mutation MOGD Strikes Down Old Boys

By FRASER HOPE

DRIFTWOOD CONTRIBUTOR

The Old Boys’ plight went from bad to worse, if you can possibly imagine, following the dire happenings of the last few weeks. 

The World Health Organization ordered an alert of a coronavirus mutation designated MOGD (MissingOnGameDay) that appeared to strike down many if not most of the Old Boys squad. Tweddle, Howe, Brown, Eadie, Cooper, Steel, McCormick and this reporter were confined to an area of the Queen of Cumberland to ensure no BC Ferries passenger could approach within a two-metre radius, ensuring a sort of “safe” zone. This marked isolation was not the best preparation for a return to Finlayson Park for a game against the “Beasts,” formally known as Centaurs 48s, but Old Boys being Old Boys shrugged off the humiliation.

Discussion turned to ways of expanding the Old Boys’ social media footprint and much was made of the decision to make accessibility for all on the new YouTube channel with subtitled and descriptive audio a priority.

As reporter Hope was being escorted to the elevator, a complete stranger asked about our special group status. “With all your UK accents, Londoners, Evertonians, “Brough” Boys and Leith Keelies, are you the top security detail heading for H&M’s place?” I replied that although we are big and burly we are more in need of a security detail than the VIP visitors, and descended to the car deck for unloading, suitably non-plussed.

Centaurs welcomed us as worthy opponents at the field more especially as we had only our resident Victoria Old Boy Nic Mai to add to the “shackled seven.” Gallant as ever, Centaurs supplied us with three subs to make both sides even at 11 at kickoff. Old Boys wore several extra layers not because of the fear of the virus but because it was rather “parky” and cold enough to freeze the “brass sphericles off a Hominoidea!” as the wind swept off the steppes of Finlayson.

Both sides started at a tremendous pace, determined to stamp their authority on the game and possibly on their opponents, as is the Centaurs’ want. There was end-to-end action for the first 10 to 15 minutes with both goalkeepers coping with what shots came their way. Surprisingly, the Old Boys, wearing white strip, were able to string passes that avoided their opponents in red, something beyond the usual failings.

Donny Brown was called into defensive action, overhauling a breakaway striker, managing enough contact to deflect a shot that would have given goalkeeper Richard Steel some anxious moments. Further pressure followed a free kick, taking three desperate clearances to move the ball out of the danger area. As always, when Old Boys need a breather, Ben Cooper is given the task of running to the other end of the field and allowing a brief respite for the defence.

A moment of concern was felt by the Old Boys as a long, looping shot appeared to take Steel off his line by surprise. Ye of Little Faith! Steel nonchalantly turned and waited for the ball to strike the cross and bounce to the ground and into his eating arms. VAR (Video Assistant Referee) replays rewarded Steel’s aplomb by indicating the ball never crossed the goal line (like in July 1966 WC’s no goal), so play on!

Centaurs pressure forced the Old Boys to take five goal kicks in succession and eventually move up field with Donny Brown sending a long cross goalward from the right wing. It eluded all except the rising Mai, who nodded in a glorious header to open the scoring in favour of the Old Boys. 

A valiant corner attempt by Scott Howe had unintended consequences as the attackers returned the clearance back into the box for a striker to hit a first-time mis-shot that unfortunately tied the game at 1-1 literally seconds before the whistle.

Half-time tactics? Just keep ploughing ahead with the wind at our backs! Dennis Shaw arrived as a late addition for his engine-room duties on the Q of C and went straight into action as assistant referee, running the flag.

With fatigue increasing in all legs the game almost came to a crawl, but occasional bursts of energy gave hope for both teams. Some opine that the players slow down, but in reality, the pitch “speeds up!”

With time winding down, Dave Eadie, who caught the earlier attention of the referee, clashed with an attacker while both were challenging for the ball. The ref pointed to the stop for a rather soft penalty award. After a retake was ordered, the Centaur striker gave Steel no chance and acquired a rather controversial lead for his team. Steel kept the score from mounting with a fine save by his chin, and Shaw gave Mike McCormick the chance of a breakaway, but a powerful shot found the netting — unfortunately the side netting — and the Old Boys’ last chance to tame The Beasts brought the game to a close.

Post-game analysis centred on the decision by the referee to ignore the VAR replays of the penalty incident, which clearly showed minimal contact between the players. With the TV commentators agreeing no foul, the Old Boys felt quite contented to put an asterisk* in the record books against the Centaurs’ result. Mai was congratulated on his goal and thanked once again for his half-time sugar rush of chock biscuits and Coke (the soft drink, not any A-class stimulants).

Ferry conversations centred on the need for more players and the suggestion to once again place a recruitment poster below the portrait of Her Majesty in the forward saloon on the ship. More important than an Islands Trust proposed Bylaw 512 seasonal cottages rezoning discussion was a desire to watch Old Boys media coverage of the game courtesy of the newly acquired drone. YouTube Old Boys Masters was up and running for a few minutes on Sunday evening but the subtitles and descriptive audio caused the censors to pull the channel for fear of unwanted visitors, who might have used these accessibility features for more nefarious means. Unfortunately, unlike the U.S. president’s tweet fiasco, the Old Boys have not been able to resurrect the channel as yet. 

Old Boys host Vantreights 48s on Sunday, Feb. 9 at GISS at 10:30 a.m., field conditions and MOGD virus willing.

MOUAT, Malcolm Keith

Driftwood Obituary
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MOUAT, Malcolm Keith

Malcolm Keith Mouat
September 24, 1941 – January 11, 2020

Mac was born in Vancouver to William Joseph Mouat and Jean Eileen Stewart. He fondly remembered his early years growing up in Williams Lake before moving to Salmon Arm, where he graduated from high school. In 1963, he received his B.Sc. from UBC in Physics and Psychology. He resided in Vancouver, Abbotsford, Salt Spring Island, and most recently, the Cowichan Valley.

Mac was an avid curler, golfer and competitive chess player. He loved the outdoors and had a great sense of adventure. He spent much time exploring Northern B.C. while working as a surveyor on the construction of the Stewart – Cassiar Highway. Over much of his life, Mac took his backpack and explored fascinating places around the world. Nearly thirty years ago Mac travelled to Thailand and fell completely in love with the people and the country. He returned to Thailand, every winter until 2015, exploring more of the communities and making friends everywhere he travelled. It was during one of these trips that he met his Thai wife, Kristsana.

Mac had an eagerness to listen to others, a kind way of sharing his thoughtful observations, and was incredibly generous. He deeply enriched the lives of all those who knew him.

Mac was predeceased by his parents and his sister Heather. He is survived by his nieces Adele and Rhonda, by his wife Kristsana, and by a very large extended family and friends around the world. A gathering to celebrate Mac will be held at the Royal Canadian Legion (Meaden Hall) on Salt Spring Island, April 18, 2020 at 1:00 pm.

Mac’s family and friends would like to sincert the Cowichan District Hospital for their generous support and compassion.

OTTO, Herbert

Driftwood Obituary
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OTTO, Herbert

Herbert Otto
Jan. 16, 1947 – Dec. 5, 2019

On Thursday December 5th Herb passed away suddenly from complications resulting from his long battle with cancer. Suzie, Karl and Christine were with him at the hospital shortly after his passing with Erik joining by phone.

We want to thank friends, family and the community for your love and support over the past year. It was a difficult time for him and for us. We were fortunate that he maintained his mental faculties up until the end providing us the opportunity to spend quality time with him and say our goodbyes.

He truly was one of the best people this world has produced.

HOWELL, Jean Caroline Faye

Driftwood Obituary
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HOWELL, Jean Caroline Faye

Jean Caroline Faye Howell
Aug. 17, 1934 ~ Jan. 19, 2020

Carol Howell (Seal), BELOVED mother of Sue Fraser, Nancy Ford (Randy), Debbie Bateman (Greg Nuspel), Cindy Bateman (Allen Thomson), Fred Bateman (Nancy Parker), Rosemarie Bishop and John Howell, sister of Bob and Jim Seal, passed away peacefully in Nanaimo, BC at the age of 85 years.

She was predeceased by her husbands, Don Bateman and John Howell.

A celebration of her life will be held on February 22, 2020 at 1 pm at the Hope Lutheran Church, 2174 Departure Bay Road, Nanaimo, BC.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, at https:\\foodgrainsbank.ca.

To express condolences, please visit: www.mem.com

EASTMAN III, James Henry

Driftwood Obituary
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EASTMAN III, James Henry

JAMES HENRY EASTMAN III
May 17, 1926 – January 25, 2020

“Jim” was born in Highland Park, near Detroit, Michigan USA, and after a 93 year long active life, died in Lady Minto Hospital, Salt Spring Island, BC. When he was very young, his father left his airplane manufacturing plant in Detroit, moved his family to Atlin, BC to start a gold mining operation. After growing up between Atlin and Detroit, Jim moved to Vancouver to attend “Shurpass” School long enough to get a language credit to qualify for admission to UBC. This led him to his future wife to be, Joy Deacon. His goal at UBC was electrical engineering. On registration day, the long line for electrical engineering led him to a friend who was standing in a very short line of only five students for mining engineering. After just one year at UBC, the call came from “Uncle Sam” (the US army). Basic training completed, the war ended, so back to UBC to finish mining engineering. To alleviate the stress of his finals in the last year, he took flying lessons and got his pilot’s license.

Now a UBC graduate, he moved to Atlin for a very brief marriage to an Atlin girl. Six months later, without a wife, he moved to his new job with the Canadian Exploration Company in Salmo, BC. Joy agreed to take Jim back and married in 1952. Three years later, with baby in tow, Joy pregnant with second baby, they were transferred to Pato, Columbia; Jim was to be the chief engineer at a placer gold mining site. Five eventful years later, suddenly for safety reasons, the family was sent back to Vancouver to work in the head office of Placer Development. Jim worked there until his retirement in 1985. He and Joy chose to build the house on Salt Spring where they lived until moving to Meadowbrook.

Jim was very active with Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, Power Squadron and Seniors. He had a passion for sports cars and airplanes, having owned both in his early years with Joy. Once in Vancouver the ocean called again, and a great love of boating and boats followed. Fifty-five plus years of cruising the West Coast of BC and Alaska left behind a very long trail of friends and stories.

Jim was predeceased by his daughter Kim and his grandson Robert. He is survived by Joy, his wife of almost 68 years, his daughter Jeanie, five grandchildren, thirteen great grandchildren and one great-great grandson. What a life he had….

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Lady Minto Hospital, where an amazing group of caring people looked after Jim for the last few weeks of his life.

Reading Room column: Bridging to chapter books

Contributed Article
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Reading Room column: Bridging to chapter books

By Lavonne Leong

Driftwood Contributor

January: new beginnings, long nights — what better time to celebrate Family Literacy Week (Jan. 26 to Feb. 2) than this? And in this transition period from one year to the next, let’s talk about one of the most important reading transitions: from picture books to chapter books.

Adults may not see much of a difference, but to new readers, the transition can be vast and intimidating. Chapter books, says Janice Parker, the teacher-librarian at Fernwood Elementary School, “aren’t coloured. They don’t have many pictures. And they have tons of words.” These days, new picture books rarely contain more than 600 words. By contrast, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has almost 77,000. Even the beloved grade-school standard Ramona the Pest has 27,000. That’s a big leap.

What can happen, says Parker, is that kids’ enthusiasm sometimes falls into the gulf.

“That age can be a vacant spot [in reading] — a hole,” points out Parker. “All of a sudden, this third grade thing happens where the kids, even if they’re reading and following along, there’s this sudden departure: ‘I’m not going to read anymore.’”

It’s not that they’re not cut out to be readers. Often, Parker says, what they need are stepping stones to get from short, lyrical picture books into chapter book land, where relationships deepen and complicate, and plot is the driver; stepping stones in the form of lots of support from you, and the right books for the right kids at the right time.

First, don’t stop reading to them, says Parker.

“Some people think, ‘You should start reading on your own now; here’s a book.’ But reading to your kids is a big, big thing.” While you’re reading, says Parker, “You’re expanding their vocabulary. They can hear your fluency — and it helps with the reluctance” because they can just close their eyes and let the story flow over them.

It also nurtures the personal connection they love. I’ve known more than one child who refused chapter books because they thought that their parents wouldn’t read to them anymore. And I’ve known more than one child who got hooked on chapter books when their parents or guardians took turns with them: read a chapter aloud for us, read a chapter silently to yourself. Cliffhanger chapter endings can be your friend.

Next, let them read what they want! Parents and other beloved adults are sometimes too excited to introduce the books they loved as children. You do get the occasional “old soul,” says Parker, but by and large, young readers don’t really want to read The Secret Garden and Treasure Island. Even the more contemporary classic series like Redwall and Warriors aren’t getting borrowed as much, says Parker, and that’s ok.

What does she recommend? Graphic novels. They’ve got all the colour and visual sense of a picture book, but kids will be getting used to longer and more complicated plots that require more sustained concentration and interpretation. Graphic novels are not just a halfway house between pictures and novels, but a sophisticated art in their own right, and kids gravitate to them naturally.

She also suggests hooking into trends or prior interests. If they love LEGO, or Star Wars, or reptiles, or horses, by all means let them build reading fluency by delving further into topics they already like. When the baby shark song got popular, says Parker, “they all wanted to know about sharks.”

Lastly, let them know they don’t have to give up picture books in order to love chapter books. Picture books are their own thing — incredibly poignant, lyrical, evocative, empathetic, artistic — and even adults can benefit from reading the best of them. The point is to broaden their tastes, not “level up.”

Before you know it, they’ll be reading all kinds of books. My “I only like picture books” third grader did, skipping sideways from picture books to comics to Dog Man to 1,000-page Archie compendiums to Harry Potter. Now she’s deep into book four: The Goblet of Fire. “Mom, do you know what I love?” she said the other day from the back seat, “Plot twists.”

Here are a few places to start, recommended by Parker:

• Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Kids do still read some classics with abandon. This is one of them.

• Snoopy: What’s Wrong with Dog Lips? by Charles M. Shultz. Here’s another one: the loveable late-20th-century cartoon has made a surprising comeback.

• The Dog Man series by Dav Pilkey. I hear the groans from adults already, but many younger readers crave the goofiness factor. And if you read them yourself, says Parker, “they have some good lessons in them.”

• The Emmie & Friends series by Terri Libenson. This is the first in a series that kids, particularly those caught up in complicated social dynamics, are “just eating up,” says Parker.

• Wings of Fire: The Graphic Novels by Tui T. Sutherland. Parker recommends these for kids inspired by older siblings but who can’t quite manage the wordy heft of the Wings of Fire novels yet.

• Rubber Band Engineer by Lance Akiyama. Reading comprehension takes all kinds of forms, and in order to build these easy and effective machines, kids will have to hang on every word. 

Draft cottages bylaw gets massive pushback

Elizabeth Nolan
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Draft cottages bylaw gets massive pushback

About 100 islanders turned out Tuesday evening for a Salt Spring Local Trust Committee hearing on a bylaw that would allow the long-term rental of some seasonal cottages. Most who spoke up were unhappy with the bylaw as currently written.

Bylaw 512 identifies 411 properties on the island where seasonal cottages are currently permitted and which meet a number of conditions, such as not being located in an area with known problems with water quantity or quality. Recent additions to the draft bylaw included a prohibition on the use of those cottages for bed and breakfast home-based businesses, a clause that many islanders spoke against.

While property owners affected by the bylaw have been given the opportunity to opt out of the mapped area, many speakers Tuesday night said they preferred to have their options open rather than being faced with an either/or decision. Others spoke strongly against any reduction to property rights.

“Don’t take the rights way from one group in an attempt to force them to provide something to another,” said one speaker. “I ask you to do your jobs as elected representatives and come up with a solution that will not hinder the rights of others — in this case property owners with seasonal cottages or the rights to seasonal cottages — and, don’t do anything to negatively impact healthy and thriving tourism, which a lot of islanders depend on.”

Trust staff reported that recent communication from the public outlined four top concerns with the draft bylaw. In addition to the B&B restriction, people feel a new requirement that rainwater catchment systems be added to any new cottages built in the bylaw area is too onerous. A clause requiring property owners to register a covenant on title stating they cannot subdivide the cottage as a strata unit has also been flagged as excessive.

Housing advocates have meanwhile stated the cottages project is insufficient to meet the scale of the rental housing problem, and some have called for the bylaw to be abandoned altogether.

“Salt Spring is one of only two islands that has seasonal designation of cottages. We should join the rest of the Trust area to allow a cottage to be a cottage; allow people to use it how they will,” said Rhonan Heitzmann. He suggested a better path would be to amend the official community plan to remove the “seasonal” definition and thereby allow long-term rental of any cottage, as long as water supply is protected in areas of concern.

“We should be protecting the resources we’re concerned about specifically, not trying to control how someone uses a dwelling,” Heitzmann said.

The cottages bylaw is due to come before the LTC for third reading on Feb. 18. Amendments could be made at that time or the trustees could choose to shelve the project for reconsideration.

For more on this story see the Feb. 5th issue of the Driftwood newspaper. 

CRD’s septic site costs keep rising

Gail Sjuberg
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CRD’s septic site costs keep rising

Salt Spring septic haulers will be subject to new regulations and enforcement at the Burgoyne Bay transfer facility starting Feb. 1. 

While regulations have always been in place, the Salt Spring Island Liquid Waste Disposal Local Service Commission recently voted to implement a series of fines for non-compliance as well as update some of the existing regulations for the upgraded facility. The commission voted at their last meeting, held in November, to amend the bylaw and to increase the tipping fee at the facility from 41.5 cents to 44 cents per imperial gallon. 

A notable change to the regulation bylaw is new hours of operation. Haulers have voiced concerns about the set hours, from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. from Monday to Friday, saying that with new dumping procedures at the facility there is a limit on the number of jobs they can do. 

“A pump-out for me could take up to two hours,” said All Out Septic Pumping operator Cal Mills. “Now my business is basically cut in half . . . Emergencies are between 25 and 30 per cent of my business. If I’m booking between my business hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m., where do I have time to schedule or deal with emergency call-outs?”

CRD Saanich Peninsula and Gulf Islands Operations manager Dan Robson explained that hours of operation were established to ensure the CRD can oversee the facility and have more control. He said that limiting operational hours is typical of utilities and that the regulation does not preclude emergency access. The bylaw includes a provision for after-hours and call-out charges. Charges are $75 per hour, with a minimum charge of $150 for the first two hours for after-hours use. That charge is in addition to the tipping fees and annual facility user permit. 

In previous years, the transfer station was much simpler, with no screening or receiving facilities at the site. Upgrades include a mesh screen that physically separates out grit, as well as a more sophisticated offloading procedure. 

Tipping fees, which cover the operations of the facility, were also raised. The 44 cents per imperial gallon paid by users on Salt Spring goes towards operations, hauling and disposal of the sludge. That rate is also higher than fees of other liquid waste disposal facilities in the region. The Regional District of Nanaimo website lists its 2020 regular septage disposal rate at 26 cents per imperial gallon. Robson said he was unaware of charges for other areas of the province, but added that “It all depends on what the receiving facility looks like for that particular service.”

Robson said that this year the contractor that hauls the sludge off-island — Coast Environmental — raised its tipping fee, which contributed to the fee hike. Salt Spring’s septage is eventually disposed of at the SPL facility in Langford, owned by Coast Environmental. The fees were on par with other areas until around a decade ago, when they increased by 58 per cent to cover higher than expected costs to operate the Burgoyne facility. Since then, tipping fees have further increased by 13 per cent.

In 2018, the CRD paid $850,503 to Coast Environmental, which also includes compost disposal and other waste management services. The Salt Spring Island Septic Sludge hauling contract for the same year was $371,200.

The parcel tax for Salt Spring property owners to support Burgoyne facility costs was also increased this year by 20 per cent. Parcel taxes cover debt costs and reserve savings. 

For more on this story, see the Jan. 29, 2020 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

Trustees debate water tax level

Elizabeth Nolan
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Trustees debate water tax level

The Salt Spring Local Trust Committee was unable to come to a decision last week on how much tax it should request to support the work of the Salt Spring Island Water Protection Alliance.

SSIWPA has recommended a special tax requisition of $98,500, in line with the amount that’s been requested of and approved by Islands Trust Council for the past few years. Though the LTC was scheduled to finalize its request during the Jan. 21 meeting in order to meet 2020-21 budgeting guidelines, trustees’ questions about unused funds caused them to defer the vote to the next meeting. 

The proposed 2020-21 SSIWPA budget of $98,500 predicts only $75,000 in actual spending. As well, staff are projecting there will be around $79,000 in unspent funds from previous budgets by the end of this fiscal year. The information being sought includes whether or not the LTC can allocate the unspent funds to projects related to water sustainability and still be in accord with SSIWPA’s establishing bylaw and Islands Trust Council’s policy on special tax requisitions.

Trustee Peter Grove argued against the full requisition amount, saying he could support topping up the reserve funds to equal the proposed operating budget for a much smaller tax request. 

“We’ve got the money; we don’t need another $98,000,” Grove said. “We’ve been asking the community to contribute this money for the last six years, we’ve got $80,000-odd . . . that we said we were going to spend, that we didn’t spend, so that’s sitting in a reserve. I don’t think we can go and ask for more.” 

Trustee Laura Patrick, who is the SSIWPA chair, said the $98,500 will be needed in 2020-21 to ensure SSIWPA can continue its regular activities. The budget is mainly taken up by the staff coordinator’s contract, which is set at $60,000 for the coming year, plus costs for meetings, administrative support and communications. 

Bylaw 154, which authorizes the special tax requisition, gives the Local Trust Committee the powers to coordinate and assist in policy development and implementation with those funds. Patrick would like to use the unspent funds not for basic coordinating functions but to tackle some water sustainability planning projects in SSIWPA’s work plan, if that’s allowed. 

“I’d like to get clarity on what we can spend it on,” Patrick said in response to Grove’s statement. “I agree with you that it’s going to be tight depending on the interpretation . . . But if we get a more favourable interpretation, then we’re not going to have a problem spending it.” 

For more on this story, see the Jan. 29, 2020 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

SD64 grad rates see upswing

Gail Sjuberg
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SD64 grad rates see upswing

Graduation rates are on the rise at the Gulf Islands School District, according to new numbers from the Ministry of Education. 

The six-year completion rate, which measures how many students graduate from high school within six years of starting Grade 8, rose from 74.2 per cent in 2018 to 82.7 per cent in 2019. District administrators attribute the gain to a policy of increased attention on academics while continuing to foster social and emotional growth. 

“We do well most often with the social and emotional stuff. We’re not as dialled in with the intellectual development,” said schools superintendent Scott Benwell. “What we’re not doing well at is the academics in some cases, so let’s bring that up.”

Though the graduation rate is simply a data point, Benwell and SD64 director of instruction Doug Livingston explained that the district has been using those data points to determine the individual learning stories of students. Instead of simply seeing that some students are not meeting the threshold of graduating, they are looking into the daily school lives of the students, realizing where some may be falling behind and putting attention where it is needed to help them graduate. 

“The assumptions of K-12 is that it’s 13 years of input and output. If we’re not getting a year’s worth of output and progress in a year’s worth of input, we’re falling behind,” Benwell said, adding that if students fall behind by a month or so each year, by the time they’re in Grade 12, they’ve missed 1.3 years of education.  

“We cram it all into a four-day week, [so] we have 156 individual opportunities to do a year’s worth of learning,” he added. “That’s a tall order.”

To give more students the chance to graduate, Livingston said they need to start when students are young. Foundational skills, which are taught at the younger levels, are essential to help students understand harder concepts when they reach high school. The district has already put into place frameworks for student successes that give teachers a way to see exactly where students are and to allow them to focus on the ones who are not meeting their grade-level expectations. 

While completion rates for all B.C. resident students have risen, Indigenous student completion rates have stayed relatively stable over the last three years. After a jump from 48 per cent in 2017 to 57 per cent in 2018, the rate remained about the same. A similar pattern for students with special needs occurred, with 52 per cent, 56 per cent and 60 per cent each year. Approximately one in 10 students in the district are considered Indigenous. The same is roughly true for students who have special needs. Benwell was seconded to the Ministry of Education as a field liaison for aboriginal education when he was hired to the district in 2019. In January 2019 the district was also awarded a $5,000 grant to participate in a ministerial Equity in Action project, which was to be used to conduct an equity scan to help Indigenous learners. They have drafted an Indigenous Education Enhancement Agreement that will be voted on at the Jan. 29 board meeting. 

“We need to take a look at the systemic barriers that are inhibiting a similar effect for Indigenous learners,” said Benwell. “From an equity, equality and community health point of view, it’s not okay for one group to move [ahead]. We need to move everyone.”

For more on this story, see the Jan. 29, 2020 issue of the Gulf Islands Driftwood newspaper, or subscribe online.

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