Mike Bernier, B.C. Minister of Education
Education Minister Mike Bernier was in the hotseat Tuesday in the B.C. Legislature over the threatened closing of an Osoyoos school.
NDP Education Critic Rob Fleming directed a question to Premier Christy Clark, pointing out that “there’ll be huge economic impacts on Osoyoos’ ability to attract and keep businesses, skilled professionals and skillied workers in this town,” according to the draft transcript.
Bernier responded to the question in place of the premier, saying that closing a school is never easy.
“When you have declining enrolment, these are tough decisions that need to be made,” said Bernier.
Fleming quoted former Osoyoos mayor Stu Wells, who argued that the decision to close the school should be made by Bernier and that the minister and premier should come to Osoyoos and face the people.
Bernier disagreed: “Unlike the member opposite, we feel [the local level] is the best place to make the decision – the locally elected school board, to make sure they are respectful for the decisions for the students in their area.”
Fleming charged that under the B.C. Liberals, education funding in the province has gone from the second best in Canada to the second worst and is $1,000 per student below the Canadian average.
Bernier claimed his government has increased per-student funding by 42 per cent.
Fleming took a shot at MLA Linda Larson, saying she “has even failed to show up to public meetings thus far on school closures. She hasn’t offered any ideas or even empathy to stop the closure of the schools.”
Bernier responded that Larson “has done an excellent job bringing all of the concerns and the issues of her constituents forward to me on a daily basis.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
Rob Fleming, NDP Education Critic
