In Alberta, the teacher talks with the government began in September, 2011, and just recently in the middle of March, broke off. Both parties walked away from negotiations as nothing was agreed upon. The talks will now not resume until the spring provincial in Alberta is over with. Alberta has class size legislation, but like in B.C., the limits have more students than what is legislated. Alberta wants to freeze all teacher wages for up to three years. In Ontario, class size limits have more students and the Ontario government wants to freeze teacher wages for three years. Both Alberta and Ontario governments are negotiating with teachers on the same topics as in B.C. Please tell me why this is a crime in B.C. according to Jim SinClair, Susan Lambert, and Adrian Dix, when it is OK in Alberta and Ontario? Also the previous Glen Clark NDP government legislated B.C. schoolteachers back to work while in government. Why was that OK when the present day B.C. Liberal government does exactly the same? I am sure that B.C. kindergarten students could understand this, but yet the three stooges of Jim SinClair, Susan Lambert, and Adrian Dix, have a big problem. In reality, a joke! In closing, both Alberta and Ontario governments say that the economic crisis worldwide is affecting government funding. NDP supporters in B.C. don't understand about this and don't want to hear about it. The funny part of all of this is that when a teacher walks out of a doctor’s office with terminal cancer, the old bank account balance will not save their lives. Just common sense, but these university graduates just can't seem to understand that. You teachers, look around, life is short, and admit it, you all have well paying jobs with great benefits compared to the majority of B.C. taxpayers that only get 15 days of annual vacations. Note that engineers are well paid, spent many years learning at university, but after all that only get 15 days of annual vacation.
Joe Sawchuk,
Duncan, B.C.