Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

20 for 2020 – day Seven. Instead of closing neighbourhood schools in areas with reduced enrolment, using existing space for these same endeavours should also be explored



Welcome to day number 8, in our series of “20 for 2020”.  Todays idea / suggestion is something I have believed necessary for many years now, and appears to finally be gaining some legs with the provincial government, local school districts, and municipal governing bodies.

Plain and simple, all new schools should be designed to incorporate community uses as identified by the areas they are to be located.

These could include meeting space, seniors’ drop-in centres, day care facilities, youth and adult sports, community gardens, and any number of possible uses that would benefit the communities they are located in.

Furthermore, instead of closing neighbourhood schools in areas where enrolment has been reduced -- especially in more rural areas -- using existing space for these same endeavours should also be explored.

Neighbourhood schools should be a focal point for the communities they serve, and by providing expanded uses for them, this can indeed be a reality.  That’s one reason why I am pleased to see community space options being explored in Kamloops, for the rebuilding of Parkcrest School, which was destroyed by fire last September.

Shared community-use schools ... a simple and yet practical idea that is years overdue, and which hopefully will become a ‘first thought’ for consideration by the BC education system.

And with that, it’s time once again to get outside and move another six inches of snow --- GOOD GRIEF!!

I’ll be back again tomorrow with a new instalment of “20 for 2020” – I’ll hope you’ll join me then.

PLEASE NOTE ...


... if you’re looking to check out the initial first six items, click on the following links:
#1 … those who wish to lead, should acknowledge that government must be about people.

#3 … there should be a full review of all license costs and fees, which the provincial government has imposed upon us, to see where and how they are being used


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Budget 2027: After a Decade of Decline, NDP Budget Delivers an Assault on Seniors, Working Families, and Small Businesses

Peter Milobar, BC Conservative Finance Critic, condemned the NDP government’s latest budget as the result of a decade of decline that has left British Columbians broke, unsafe, and paying more for less.   “After ten years of NDP mismanagement, this budget is an assault on seniors, working families, and the small businesses that drive our economy,” said Milobar. “The NDP have turned their back on the people working hardest to make ends meet and the seniors who built this province.” Milobar pointed to a new $1.1 billion annual income tax increase and warned that the government is piling new costs onto households already struggling with affordability.   “This government keeps asking British Columbians for more, while delivering less,” Milobar said. “The question people are asking is simple: Where has all the money gone?” Milobar noted that BC has gone from a surplus in the first year of NDP government to a projected deficit of more than $13 billion this year, while prov...

WARD STAMER -- Those are REAL forestry numbers, not just made-up numbers

The following is a condensed version of remarks Kamloops – North Thompson MLA Ward Stamer’s made, regarding Forestry, in the BC Legislature, on Tuesday afternoon (02/24/2026)   Let’s talk a little bit, when we talk about Budget 2026, about the forest industry, which is near and dear to my heart. Forestry remains one of British Columbia’s foundational industries. It’s a pillar that built this province. Entire communities depend upon it. Interior towns, northern communities, Vancouver Island regions, the Kootenays, the Lower Mainland, with manufacturing facilities in Surrey and Maple Ridge, just to name a few — everywhere in BC is touched by forestry. One word that was not mentioned in Budget 2026 was forestry. That’s a shame, an incredible shame. It wasn’t an oversight – it was intentional. This government has driven forestry into the ground .... INTO THE GROUND! We can talk a little bit about some of the initiatives that this government has brought forth, to try to resurrect ...

FORSETH -- Before anyone gets excited about one poll showing a candidate with a 25 percent lead, and 44 percent support overall, let’s give it a few more weeks

Is this based in reality -- how accurate are the numbers? In the past couple of weeks a couple of candidates, for the leadership of the BC Conservative Party, have been presenting polling results that they lead the pack – one even going so far as to say they have a lock on 44% of those who will be voting, and a twenty-five percent lead over the individual ranked second. I am going to say that this one, from Kerry-Lynne Findlay, is highly suspect. First of all the company conducting the poll, ERG National Research, is not a Member of Industry Bodies (the Canadian Research Insights Council), meaning they do not adhere to established industry standards for research, such as transparency, privacy, and methodological rigor. AI Overview states that ... based on alerts from the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and reports, ERG National Research should be treated with extreme caution regarding its reliability, and legitimacy, in conducting political polling. Before I even read this in...

Labels

Show more