Heritage Park Secondary School students demonstrated outside the facility in mid-June, protesting cutbacks in education.
Rally organizers Clinton Large and Kylie Harmatuik said it was the prospect of losing eight Heritage teachers that most struck a chord with the students.
Large explained that all teachers at the school without eight years of seniority were given layoff notices. Many will be hired back, but in the meantime they have no job security.
The protestors received many honks of support from passing motorists, and some adults grabbed a sign and joined the protest.
They highlighted a serious issue in the Mission School District this year. Mike Trask, the bargaining chair for the Mission Teachers’ Union, said approximately 130 teachers across the district were given layoff notices. Many, he concedes, will be hired back.
District apologizes for PSIT
The District of Mission apologized to 15 property owners after a review found there was insufficient evidence to conclude their homes were being used for marijuana grow operations.
In total 70 owners were to receive review notices in the mail, and 15 were to have their status as a controlled substance property changed, and fees reversed.
An analysis of the 70 open files was completed June 1, said Gipps, adding a third party was used to help with the work. Open cases are those identified by the Public Safety Inspection Team where owners have not paid the $5,200 inspection fee.
The district was then looking into closed cases in which homeowners have not completed the remediation orders, which detail hazards on the property that must be repaired, but have paid the fine.