Teachers’ strike — the summer of quiet insanity wears on

MONDAY MORNING EDITORIAL — How quickly we move on.

The B.C. Teachers Federation strike that dominated headlines and the public’s thinking such a short time ago has receded to the back pages and rarely comes up in conversation these days.

Sure, the wildfires of the past couple of weeks have dominated the news, and we tend to lose concentration on one big story, and change to something else. And, the fact is, once the school year ended, interest in the strike was bound to soften.

But, the strike is still on. The BCTF and the B.C. Public School Employers Association aren’t talking. Mediation is an agreeable option to both sides — as long as the conditions are right — but so far they haven’t been able to come up with anybody who’s willing to take it on.

Now, instead of hoping for a settlement by the end of the school year, people are talking in terms of hope for a settlement by the start of the next one.

There’s a chance mediation can get started in August. But Education Minister Peter Fassbender says the teachers have to move further on the wage issue, and Finance Minister Mike de Jong says the government isn’t ready to legislate teachers back to work. That includes, if necessary, letting the strike carry on to the start of new classes in September.

And, of course, both sides claim they care about kids, and blame the other side for the problems.

So, the summer continues through a period of quiet insanity. Soon, though, as September approaches, we’ll all start paying attention again and this strike will be back in the headlines.