Children before B.C. Place Stadium roof

Dear Editor:

Liberal Government has its priorities mixed up.

British Columbia students will get short changed in the next year as many school districts around the province grapple with insufficient budgets and find it difficult to maintain schools, teachers and education programs. At the same time the Liberal Government under Gordon Campbell has earmarked 458 million dollars to construct a new retractable roof for BC Place. One wonders how decisions like this get made when a roof for a sports and entertainment venue has priority over our children’s education. We owe it to our children to put them first when deciding what gets funded.

One estimate by the British Columbia School Business Officials claims a $ 300 million cash infusion would address the budget deficits of BC school districts for next year, an amount far less than the cost of a retractable roof for a sports and entertainment venue in Vancouver. Failure to provide financial support to school districts means our children will have fewer educational opportunities; fewer rural schools, fewer teachers and fewer choices of school programs. If we as a society value our children’s future then education must be a priority when we spend our tax dollars; a message Premier Campbell isn’t listening to and it’s time he did.


Loch Eddy President of the Nicola Valley Teachers’ Union

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