B.C. begins plans for school in September
The B.C. government and school boards have begun to figure out how school will operate in September when more students return to class.
Education Minister Rob Fleming called the June school restart successful and said it will help to plan for September, if it’s safe to do so.
On June 1, all kindergarten-to-Grade 5 students had the option to attend school halftime, while students in grades 6 to 12 had the option to attend school for the equivalent of one day a week.
To prepare for September, Fleming has appointed a steering committee with representatives from teachers, parents, First Nations, support staff, principals and vice-principals, school boards and trustees and the public-health sector to learn from best practices and find solutions to issues, according to a government news release Thursday.
The committee will review lessons learned from March to June, identify existing and potential issues and propose solutions, and develop and support parent and teacher resources, the government said.
Some of the safety measures already implemented include greater space between desks, minimal physical contact, hand hygiene, respiratory etiquette, cleaning of high-contact surfaces twice daily, and clear protocols for drop-offs and lunch and recess breaks, to name a few.
The province says the goal is to have even more students in class in September, as long as it’s safe to do so based on the advice of Dr. Bonnie Henry, the provincial health officer.
Several return-to-school scenarios are being developed based on a five-stage approach, allowing schools to respond quickly in the event of a second pandemic wave.
The B.C. government says nearly 200,000 students went back to school in June.
Vancouver firefighters have vowed to continue the fight against work-related cancer after the death this week of long-serving firefighter Capt. Steve Letourneau.
Letourneau died Wednesday at age 59 after a lengthy battle with colorectal cancer. He was diagnosed in November 2014, the cancer a result of exposure to chemicals while on the job.
“Early this morning we lost a very good man — one of the best I’ve ever met,” Vancouver
Fire Chief Darrell Reid wrote on Wednesday after Letourneau’s death. “A smart, wise, funny man who made a huge impact on so many of us. A leader, a communicator and a person who was so courageous and strong that he lived for years when all the experts told him over-and-over he had only weeks.”
Letourneau is among the city’s most respected fire officials, having served at all 20 fire halls in Vancouver. After his diagnosis, doctors told him he had just months to live. It didn’t stop Letourneau from standing proudly in Vancouver City Hall chambers in 2019, surrounded by family, friends and firefighters, when he was honoured for his 35 years of service with the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services (VFRS).
“We’ve lost one of our own. A firefighter like no other,” read an online tribute shared Wednesday from the Vancouver Fire Fighters’ Local 18. “After a lengthy battle with job-related cancer caused by his many years protecting the citizens of Vancouver, Brother Steve Letourneau is now at peace. Our hearts are broken.
“Rest easy Steve, we will take it from here.”
Over the years, Letourneau had been vocal about the need to expand the list of work-related cancers covered by the B.C. Workers Compensation Act. In 2016, the province expanded the act to cover breast cancer, prostate cancer and multiple myeloma as occupational diseases. In 2019, MLA Harry Bains tabled amendments to the act that would further expand coverage for those working around fires.
“Steve died as a result of his work as a Vancouver firefighter. I know from our talks how important he felt (decontamination), cancer screening and other health and wellness initiatives are, and I want to also thank all of you who fight to make VFRS better at how we take care of our members,” said Reid in the closing of his tribute. “Steve lived a life worth celebrating in a way worth admiring. He will be missed, but he will not be forgotten.”