Ministry knows best about education needs
It’s high time the Greater Victoria District School Board took their own walk in the snow. It is increasingly clear the board is dysfunctional and toxic.
Now, while not open to other opinions nor other voices at the table, they threaten the provincial government with legal action if they intervene.
Trustees are elected to serve the needs of the community, not their own agendas. Maybe the discussion needs to be more about whether school boards have become a help or hindrance in the education system.
I cast my vote with the Ministry of Education to do what is necessary to rectify this ongoing situation.
Norm Tandberg
Esquimalt
Victoria school board is out of touch
The Greater Victoria School Board should be terminated and a trustee put in place. The board has obviously lost touch and is unwilling to consider the needs and requests of the community, parents and students they serve.
Their stance of having “ultimate oversight of all educational programs” speaks volumes about their willingness to work collaboratively.
In the words of the Esquimalt and Songhees chiefs, “The board has failed repeatedly to listen from a place of humility, openness and mutual respect.”
Every member of the board should be served their walking papers.
Pam Bevan
Victoria
Where has all the bike parking gone?
I went to Central Junior from 1956 to 1959. At that time, the paved area in the school yard running parallel to Fort Street east of Moss to Fernwood had several rows of bike parking stalls.
I used them daily, they were always full. Most bikes had carriers for paper route deliveries after school.
Now that same area is all car parking, no bikes in sight. Isn’t that ironic with all the new bike lanes, in fact a new bike lane on Fort Street is 10 metres from the parking lot on school grounds.
I guess most of the kids today get to school by bus or parents dropping them off. So much for bike lanes.
Paul Baldwin
Victoria
Nothing wrong with crying after a loss
Re: “Junior hockey players embarrassed country,” letter, Jan. 7.
While I may agree that the unsportsmanlike penalties could have been reduced, bitching about under 20-year-old boys crying after losing perhaps the biggest sporting event of their life is not only a bad take, it’s detrimental to our society.
A society where men especially young men are committing suicide at an alarming rate. Perhaps we should all cry a little more and talk about our feelings.
Jared Horne
Malahat
School board members should get to know police
I was astounded to continue reading about the Greater Victoria School Board’s decision to ban police presence in schools. This reckless move prompted commendable responses from Education Minister Lisa Beare and special adviser Kevin Godden, who have shown dedication in navigating the challenges this decision has caused.
I believe the next step should be for the minister to terminate this board for insubordination, as they are defying her authority.
Furthermore, I suggest that future board members be required to attend “ride along” sessions with the RCMP or Esquimalt and Songhees Nations Police forces.
These sessions would offer first-hand insight into the challenges law enforcement faces, fostering a more empathetic understanding of police work.
From my experience with such programs, both nearly 50 years ago and more recently, I can attest to how profoundly they changed my perspective.
Spending time with officers deepened my respect for their work and helped me understand the complexities of policing.
If board members had this experience, they might recognize the value of police presence in schools. Rather than undermining officers, the board should appreciate how their role fosters positive relationships and provides safety and support for students and staff.
Tim Kehler
Ladysmith
Don’t ignore evidence in making choices
Re: “Limits to scientific investigation,” letter, Jan. 7.
This criticism of Kasari Govender’s Jan. 3 commentary on police in public schools identifies criteria for “scientific investigation” but overlooks Govender’s main point that there is a woeful absence of evidence available for analysis despite recommendations from the B.C. Human Rights Commissioner to the provincial government to obtain such evidence. This leaves a void to be filled by fear, misinformation, and unsubstantiated claims.
As for the letter’s specific complaints, it is true that correlation does not necessarily mean causation. Nonetheless, in science, correlations reveal trends of interest.
Govender’s point is that available evidence suggests no correlation at all between the ending of the police liaison program and increases in gang activity or police callouts to high schools.
In statistics, the absence of a significant correlation is either because there is no correlation (no relationship) or there is insufficient evidence to reveal it, quite apart from potential causes.
Govender argues correctly where is the evidence to inform us of why there is a need for this program and, if so, whether the benefits outweigh the potential harm?
On the issue of discriminatory policing as a potential problem with the liaison program, Govender acknowledges B.C. is not the United States.
But, in the absence of information here, the U.S. is a comparable society that does have such information.
Govender does not take this as proof of anything but concedes their experience reveals “questions to which we do not have answers because of a lack of research here.”
Contrary to the letter’s assertion, Govender’s measured, logical argument and explicit admission of uncertainties follow the best practices of science.
There are certainly limits to science but that is not an excuse to ignore available evidence and identify uncertainty to reduce risks.
Vince Nealis
Victoria
Don’t perpetuate existing divisions
One would expect that B.C.’s human rights commissioner would promote building and establishing positive relationships between the police and Indigenous and Black people – as opposed to perpetuating divisions that already exist.
Kasari Govender states there is no clear correlation between the presence of the school police liaison officer (SPLO) and gang activity in schools; she then takes it a step further by pointing to her office’s 2021 report showing significant racial disparities in policing affecting Indigenous and Black people — thereby implying that SPLO’s are partly responsible for these racial disparities!
In her so-called “evidence-based” commentary, she also refers to a U.S. study that “suggests” SPLOs are “more likely to arrest or charge Black students…” but does not provide any evidence to support that this actually occurs in B.C.
Putting aside the fact that the overwhelming majority of people in B.C. want SPLOs in schools, there is clear anecdotal evidence and numerous studies that show a visible police presence reduces the likelihood of illegal activity. (For example, a 2020 U.K. study found a significant decrease in crime in areas with an increased police presence compared to those areas that maintained no increased presence.)
And simply look at how traffic slows when roadside police are visible.
Perhaps even more importantly: having SPLOs in schools would provide the opportunity to promote positive relationships between police and those who may have a negative feeling towards them — including those who have their own bias against the police.
Stan Davis
Saanich
Addiction care takes many forms
Re: “Premier wants involuntary secure-care sites to open by late spring,” Jan. 5.
While there is no argument that some very ill folks are unable to care for themselves and would benefit from institutionalized care, the involuntary solution applies to only a very small subset of the substance-using population.
For those who want to enter addiction recovery care, the system is still woefully inadequate, with high barriers and long wait times. For private care, costs are exorbitant. Expansion of expedited, subsidized voluntary treatment should also be a priority for this government.
For those who are not ready to stop using substances, access to harm reduction services is essential to prevent overdose and related harms.
Unfortunately, Mr Eby, this includes access to overdose prevention sites in hospitals.
It’s time to connect the dots between having a supervised, separate consumption site in hospitals; eliminating staff exposure to smoke, drug paraphernalia and overdoses in hospital rooms; and retaining medically ill people in hospital so that they can complete their treatment without having to leave the site to use substances and avoid the agony of withdrawal.
Let’s focus on creating a comprehensive addiction care system that meets the needs of folks no matter where they are in their recovery journey. This cannot be political. Lives are at stake here.
Dr. Caroline Ferris
addiction physician
Victoria
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