In honour
Every year, a public ceremony is held to honour workers who have lost their lives due to work-related incidents or occupational diseases. This year the Day of Mourning is Monday, April 28.
Martha Higgins, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 798, appeared before City of Powell River council on April 17 to speak about the annual Day of Mourning held across Canada. Higgins requested that April 28 be officially declared Day of Mourning in Powell River, that flags be drawn to half mast at city sites both April 27 and 28, and that the Day of Mourning flag be hoisted at city hall.
WorkSafeBC, BC Federation of Labour, and Business Council of British Columbia co-host the public ceremony to provide an opportunity for workers, families, friends and employers, to come together and remember those who have lost their lives.
A memorial ceremony, hosted by Local 798, will take place at 10:45 am, with a one-minute silence at 11 am, on Monday at Cranberry Cemetery.
ECE bursary
A bursary program to increase the number of early childhood educators (ECEs) was announced by the ministry of children and family development this week.
The funding comes as a recommendation from the BC Early Years Strategy, an eight-year program launched in February 2013, which identified a need to increase access to early childhood educator and care-provider training. “The early years sector has expressed a need for qualified early childhood educators in BC, and in particular, Aboriginal ECEs and ECEs working with children under the age of three,” said Stephanie Cadieux, minister, in a press release. “I encourage current ECE students, and future ones, to apply for this new bursary so they can enter a career that makes a real difference in children’s lives every day.”
A total of $513,000 will be distributed to students currently enrolled or enrolling in childhood education programs, in the amount of $300 per course, up to a maximum of $1,500 per semester.
Priority applicants will be aboriginal students, students attending courses with an aboriginal focus, and students working toward an infant/toddler educator designation.
Emily Mlieczko, executive director of Early Childhood Educators of BC is delighted with the funding. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to re-establish the ECE bursary program and support the development of a high-quality workforce,” she said in the release. “This is a welcome announcement and will make a positive impact on addressing the financial burden facing many choosing this career.”
Vancouver Island University Nanaimo campus provides a two-year diploma program in early childhood education and care, with distance education options available to students in Powell River.
The early years strategy received $76 million from the government to cover its first three years. It includes a new BC Early Childhood Tax Benefit, which starts in April 2015 and will provide $146 million annually to approximately 180,000 families with children under the age of six. Families can apply for the benefit of up to $55 per month per child, when filing their annual income tax returns.
