Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 May, 2023 12:09 PM
The B-C Teachers Federation has completed its first-ever survey of members and says the results show teachers' stress and workloads are climbing.
A statement from the teachers federation says nearly 82 per cent of respondents noted problems related to teacher shortages and 62 per cent reported an inability to get needed help for students.
More than 80% of BC public school teachers say they're feeling direct impacts from the teacher shortage and meeting students' needs is their top concern. Today we're releasing our first annual membership survey with these and other findings: https://t.co/uEDh2eiCtu#bcpoli#bced
Roughly 40 per cent of teachers say they have less preparation time this year than they did in 2022 and approximately the same number say their physical or mental health is worse than it was last year.
BCTF President Clint Johnston says the survey underlines a critical need for school districts and the provincial government to find better ways to recruit and retain teachers before they burn out.
The brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive species in Canada, is thriving in the province this season thanks to summer-like weather extending into the fall months, experts say. Although population counts aren't readily available, the unwelcome intruder is earning notice across the Fraser Valley, Metro Vancouver and parts of the Okanagan, particularly Kelowna.
The Crown is seeking a 12-year prison term for 44-year-old Aydin Coban, who was convicted in August of several offences related to an unrelenting online attack aimed at Port Coquitlam teen Amanda Todd. She endured three years of online stalking and abuse as Coban hid behind aliases and threatened and blackmailed her, before she took her own life in 2012 when she was 15.
Just before 11:00 this morning, the VPD received 9-1-1 calls reporting a man standing at East Hastings and Columbia Street had just fired a gun, then ran out of the area. The witnesses also reported bear spray had been deployed around the same time.
The International Sikh Students Association has long been calling for this change, and launched a petition early this year to move that cap from 20 to 30 hours to up the quality of life for students. Jaspreet Singh, who founded the association, said the government's decision to temporarily lift the cap came as a surprise.
A statement from Victoria police says 67-year-old Scott Graham was last seen in Madrid. The statement says his body has been located but it doesn't say where or when. He was suffering from a medical condition that had the potential to become life-threatening without medication and the alert in August said Graham's family was "deeply concerned" about his disappearance.
Initial indications are that it was a targeted incident. Although the motive of the shooting remains under investigation, the victim is known to police and has gang affiliations. At the time of the shooting the victim was driving a 2016 White Honda Civic and travelling northbound on Scott Road. The suspect vehicle is described as a dark sedan.
