The Hook

shredding up a storm

This is a quote from the Report on the Vancouver School board (School District 39):

“The complexities around contracting for services and technological change are not unique to VSB. These clauses are an impediment to shared service arrangements between school districts. For example, shared services are more attractive to the host district than other participating districts because the host district has no resulting job losses. This is an area where a provincial solution might be needed.”

I can just imagine what a provincial “solution” would mean. First, get rid of any collective agreement language that hinders any form of contracting out. Second, try a few token service arrangements with select school districts. Third, lift the lid right off for privatization to swoop in.

Knowing this government, the second step might be skipped entirely if the collective agreements can be shredded and swept under the carpet.

Good point onthebay.

That is why I believe they would like to get rid of School Boards and run education like they do Health. Control with appointed flunkies and "arms length" or abrogate the responsibility when the crap hits the fan.

Should also get rid of politiking

School Boards should also get rid of excessive spending as it was noted in the report, and also the added costs of politiking.

I would get rid of School Boards, simply because not of politics, but because they do not have the power to set school taxes
on properties, as School Board used to.

They have become rundant on that regard, and it is the Ministry of Education that sets the budgets and base curriculum with the School District adding electives.

There's alot of administrative costs and
excessive spending that can be looked at to still provide a purpose built effective delivery of education in a school district.

The current mess with Schools is not specifically BC Liberal, there were budget problems during Social Credit and NDP terms. In fact the VSB Board was removed from office at one time because they failed to adequately meet budget management requirements, but their firing was not within the BC Liberals term of office.

Twisted!

I find this particular suggestion by the Minister and her Special Adviser particularly twisted:

VSB could solve the crisis by demanding union concessions totalling over $2 million.

This being the crisis created by the Province giving away union concessions that it is no longer willing to fund!

Priceless!

Stop funding private schools

Put those millions annually (200 million in the last fiscal year) and there will be no further problems with public schools.

This is a created crisis - created by mismanagement, originally by the Socreds and, since Campbell came to power, magnified many fold.

Simple stuff really. Taxpayers should not be supporting elite independent schools - EVER.

double or nothing

interesting how the government seems to be betting double-down:

*rammed through the bill that sells our power to the States, forever, without independent oversight.

*oil tankers now seem to be a fait accompli on our coasts. (Does anyone still believe in a "environmental review" process? nah, it's a project approval process with greenwash window dressing.)

*are about to pull a Big Brother with re-writing the FOI act i.e. government gets all the information it wants on us and continues to release essentially nothing while late and charging a bundle.

* are about to do away with school boards and really privatize public education.

* continue to privatize health care. After all that's been such a rip-roaring success (sarcasm) with seniors' care, hospital food and hospital cleaning.

* are "reviewing" the independent offices of the legislature with a panel that has at least two of the three members adhering to a very pro-Campbell viewpoint.

* down-sizing the BC government staff to 1970s levels or lower (with a population that's grown 3x since the 70s).

* did not re-appoint Harry Neufeld, the exceptionally good independent Chief Electoral Officer.

* the Basi-Virk trial that is going nowhere with some very weird ban on any media coverage when the jury isn't present. Not to mention the special (make that very special prosecutor) who was partners in the same law firm as Geoff Plant and Alan Seckl . . .

Similarily, the John Les special investigation that's going nowhere and the Kash Heed investigation that's also (wait for it) going nowhere. It's starting to verge on the Twilight Zone now although, unfortunately, it's all too real.

*HST what HST? just a simple tax tranfer of !.5 billion from corporations to citizens with miraculous economic benifits to unfold; (trust us, we're government)

And finally, what's up with the Premier?!

why is he looking so relaxed, so happy? what does he know that the rest of us don't know?! Either that, or I want his meds.

I am so hoping, praying really, that Chris Delaney will win a seat this fall with recall. That the anti-hst petition could spring board to recall gives hope. Maybe voters will trump corporate agendas.

Please, God willing. The stakes are high . . . the future of our kids and grandkids, the future of BC.

Premier looking relaxed?

He knows he'll be gone soon.

FYI

The Vancouver School Board Trustees were fired in the mid 80's. That's during the Socred, now liberal administration. Go figure!

VSB was also fired during NDP time

VSB was also fired during the time of Mike Harcourt being Premier. Not a fault of the Provincial government but rather the Board itself, and the people's capability to manage their budget.

Great points, off-the-radar!

Yes, it seems the BC Liberals have nothing to lose now. It's a going out of business sale.

The changes that our province has undergone since the BC Liberals took office have been huge. Their first three years and their last couple of years somehow seem to be the worst. The transfer of wealth from the average person to the wealthy and the corporate sector has put us back to the pre-depression era ratios. BC now resembles a US state more than a Canadian province. And Canada, under Mulroney, Cretien, Martin and Born-again Harper now resembles a US Territoy more than its own country.

We have become a province and a nation of city-dwelling consumers. Our resources (including hydro-electricity, timbre and grain) are now publicly subsidized commodities to be mined by international corporations with little or no added value (therefore, little value extracted) by Canadian workers.

Our education and our health care systems have been being broken so that the wealthy can maintain their place and the working and middle classes may sink lower and be forced to be subserviant if they want their daily ration. The latest projection for the end of the next decade has 9 out of 10 new jobs in BC belonging to the service sector of the BC economy. Service sector jobs do not bring wealth to families nor countries. Regardless of the (phoney) GDP numbers that exporting resources and working in a Tim Horton's supposedly brings, most Canadians are on their way to 3rd world status.

The changes made by the NDP were huge too

The changes made by the NDP were huge too.

They went out in 2001, and I gather the BC Liberals will be out next.

Wash, rinse, spin, repeat.

VSB Fired?

"VSB was also fired during NDP time". NO, THEY WERE NOT FIRED! Get you facts right!

NDP changes

BC Boy, you're right the NDP made huge changes:

1. the NDP brought in the Agricultural Land Reserve and preserved farmland so we have better food security. And we need arable land what with climate change (and water shortages) unfolding before our eyes. Btw, the Liberals have been steadily eroding the ALR.

2. the NDP introduced programs to support poor kids (like school lunches and early childhood education). Now we have more ppor kids living and less support. And the lowest minimum wage in the country.

3. The NDP left BC Hydro alone and preserved a huge asset for the people of BC. (The Gordon Campbell Liberals are selling it out from under us).

4. The NDP had 3 balanced budgets and a small debt. The Gordon Campbell Liberals introduced a big deficit budget in 2001 with a $1 billion tax cut and then blamed the deficit from the tax cut on the NDP. Do you want to talk about government and crown corporation debt now under the Liberals? beyond scary.

5. The public service was politically neutral under the Socreds and NDP, like it's supposed to be. Not any more.

6. Under the NDP we had functional resource ministries. Real environmental protection and a meaningful environmental review process.

7. the NDP brought in ICBC, low premiums. And money that stays in our province.

8. the NDP addressed classroom composition issues, i.e. kids with special needs need smaller class sizes.

9. it was because of the Saskatchewan NDP under Tommy Douglas and the federal NDP in Pearson's minority government that Canadians have medicare. The NDP strongly support public healthcare.

10. the NDP maintained support for arts, culture and BC historical attractions. (That's gone btw under the Liberals).

12. the NDP actually followed the FOI Act and released lots of information to the opposition (that would be the Gordon Campbell Liberals) who then used it to keep government to account and keeps government honest).

13. the BC NDP had clean hospitals and didn't break contracts. Interesting that now only the Northern Health Authority has clean hospitals and decent food because they're the only health authority that DID NOT CONTRACT OUT CLEANING AND FOOD.

14. No criminal scandals. Glen Clark's deck?!? versus Basi-Virk, John Les, Kash Heed??! lmao.

15. Fast ferries? sure, not smart but the $400 million pales in comparison to the $8 billion Olympic AND the $1 billion Vancouver Convention centre and the half billion for the new roof for BC Place.

16. solid economic growth and low unemployment from 1991 to 2000. Good jobs that paid family living wages. Sure the Asian down turn affected the province's resource economy but there were good offsets with high tech, tourism and film.

Were the BC NDP perfect? Hell no. But it sure wasn't the "dismal decade" crap that's been shoved down our throats for the past 10 years by Canwest.

An NDP pamphlet for the NDP supporters

An NDP propaganda pamphlet for the NDP supporters.

Not bad. Write a book for the next NDP Convention to take place here at the Tyee.

Back to the question of facts.

Is there anyone out there who can give us the date the NDP, under Harcourt, fired the Vancouver School Board?

@off-the-radar

Thank you very much.

It's only a partial list of course - but very nicely done. Interestingly enough, any list of positive programs instituted by the NDP doesn't have to be very long to smother the good that has come from 10 years of Campbell's CEO government.

Not only can he not manage the economy properly, ensure that all British Columbians have a decent and working wage and that the poor, the young and the old are able to properly live up to their potential...he has managed to ruin many of the programs that were in place during the 90s and, into the bargain, to increase the provincial debt by leaps and bounds in comparison.

Sad really.