‘Send our kids back to school’

NEWS/ SCHOOLS — Carrying placards that read “Stop bullying our teachers” and “Send our kids back to school,” 60 parents and their kids picketed MLA Todd Stone’s downtown Kamloops office Tuesday, then moved over to Tranquille Road to confront MLA Terry Lake.

Stone was on his way to Vancouver so the group — protesting a bargaining stalemate that keep schools closed on what was supposed to be the first day of classes — left the Victoria Street constituency office after 20 minutes.

Lake was at his Tranquille Road office and, while he didn’t come outside, he invited a delegation of three parents in to discuss their grievances. They emerged no happier than when they went in.

“Obviously we’re not going to get anywhere,” Michelle Blundell-Dunkerley, one of the organizers of the protest and a parent of two school-aged kids, told the crowd. “Let’s tell our government how important it is to us that our kids go back to school,” she said to applause.

Lake spoke to the media inside his office, saying he understood the parents’ frustration.

“We’re in a labour dispute and so we have a position, the BCTF has a position, and parents are caught in between and we understand that.

“At the same time we’ve been clear that we think a fair deal for teachers is one that is similar to that, that has been agreed to by 150,000 other public servants and is fair to the taxpayer as well.

“We think the BCTF is unreasonable in their demands for wages and benefits and if we can’t get close on that then we’re not going to get a deal.”

He repeated the government’s position it won’t legislate the teachers back to work.

“Labour negotiations are never easy, particularly when you’re in a strike situation and particularly when kids are affected.”

Blundell-Dunkerley, who had earlier said “if I have to come every day (to protest), I’ll come every day,” said after talking to Lake “I don’t think coming back tomorrow will do anything.”

Instead, she said, a petition to government will demand action. A sheet of paper was passed around, gathering a few dozen signatures demanding “Send our kids back to school.”

“I have to say I respect him for showing up today and I’m grateful that he took the time to talk to us,” she said of Lake. “I’m very disappointed Todd couldn’t do the same for us.”

The protest was part of a province wide attempt by parents to put pressure on the government to resolve the strike.