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Margison has no memory of attack or criminal charges: report
A gangster who suffered severe brain damage in a prison beating last August had no memory months later of being charged with kidnapping, assault and use of a firearm. While Jesse John Margison made...
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Vancouver school board seeks parent views on public education
The Vancouver board of education has hired a marketing research firm to find out what parents like and dislike about public schools. Families have lots of educational options these days, and the board...
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School board expense accounts: Alberta, transparent; B.C., opaque
The chief superintendent of the Calgary board of education is under fire this week for spending almost $15,000 so that she and two of her staff could travel to New Zealand for an international...
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Accused coke smuggler loses appeal of extradition order
A Vancouver restaurateur who walked in to Surrey RCMP headquarters four years ago and confessed to smuggling hundreds of kilos of cocaine into Canada thinks he should face charges in this country. But...
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Protection needed for B.C. athletes and coaches: Letters
A recent call by Sydney Stockus for B.C. to provide better protection for young athletes from abusive coaches prompted two letters to the editor. The first, published in the Victoria Times Colonist was...
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Enforcing standards for B.C. teachers working abroad
The B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) sets standards for the province’s 68,000 educators and investigates when there are allegations of misconduct or incompetence. But what happens when those...
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Sharp new direction for B.C. teacher bargaining teams
We all know that Premier Christy Clark wants a 10-year deal with teachers, but her government’s letter to bargaining teams Friday was a surprise nevertheless. Writing to public-school employers, deputy...
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Body found in burned out van
Vancouver Police are investigating after a body has been found inside a van in East Vancouver early Saturday. Fire crews were called out shortly before 6:00 a.m. to a burning van parked on Victoria...
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Peace in B.C. schools requires deal with K-12 support staff as well as teachers
Premier Christy Clark is promising labour peace in B.C. public schools and says a 10-year deal with teachers is the ticket. Negotiating such a deal will be a challenge for sure – and the B.C. Teachers’...
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Vancouver school district drafts social media policy
Don’t post anything on social media that reflects poorly on you or your school district. That’s the main message from the Vancouver school district in proposed guidelines for employees using Facebook,...
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Pacific Academy: Christian education in Surrey and Uganda
I became interested in Pacific Academy in Surrey after the mention of glossolalia in the school’s registration priorities was brought to my attention. In accepting students, the K-12 school says it...
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Arms trafficker loses appeal of 2010 conviction
A convicted arms trafficker serving a four and a half year sentence has had his appeal dismissed by B.C.’s highest court. Christopher John Whaling, who was once a verifier for the Canadian Firearms...
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UN gangster Michael Newman appeals murder conviction
United Nations gang killer Michael Newman has filed an appeal of his conviction for the 2004 murder of Marc Rozen during a botched West End robbery. Newman was sentenced in February to life in prison...
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Alberta’s unsuccessful bid for a 10-year deal with its teachers
Premier Christy Clark’s enthusiasm for a 10-year contract with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation echoes a similar call for labour peace in public schools a decade ago in Alberta. It began on April Fool’s...
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A hunch isn’t enough to justify arresting a suspected rug dealer, judge rules
In the land of movies and TV, the loose-cannon cop who always goes with his gut is a hero. His refusal to play by the rules or listen to the advice of the uptight commissioner are what allow him to...
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B.C. teachers and employers back to the bargaining table
Contract talks resumed today (Tuesday) for the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) and public school employers, despite the government’s announcement last week of a new bargaining mandate intended to...
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Greater transparency at the B.C. School Trustees’ Association
The B.C. School Trustees Association has taken a positive step this month by posting its annual budget and membership fees online for the first time. My request for this information earlier this year...
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Convicted Montreal cocaine trafficker claims he didn’t understand English trial
Convicted cocaine trafficker Jean Gingras listened to his own English conversations with an undercover police officer Tuesday as his lawyer argued before the B.C. Court of Appeal that the Francophone...
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New murder trial ordered for man accused in stepdad’s stabbing death
A man diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia has been ordered to stand trial once again for his stepfather’s murder after the B.C. Court of Appeal overturned his conviction because of the trial judge’s...
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Francophone board takes legal action to occupy Vancouver school
I visited the courthouse this week in search of a document about a legal effort by the only francophone school board in B.C. to take possession of the old Sexsmith elementary school in Vancouver. When...
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