Children at risk

This strike is not an inconvenience. It is criminal, and it is putting many children at risk. The Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia (ECEBC) have just put out a press release with their concern about children being put into unsafe environments as a result of this strike.

They state: “Social media postings have recently appeared where many people are offering ad hoc child care that doesn’t meet the criteria of the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, provincial legislation that licensed and registered child care programs are required to uphold. This should be of concern to parents, as it is to ECEBC, as children may be put in a position where their health and safety are compromised.”

This doesn’t mention those young children who could quite possibly be left alone all day while their parent(s) go to work.

It is a tragedy for the BCTF to go on strike and put countless children at risk. It is equally loathsome for the Provincial Government to pass up an opportunity to get children back to school by not agreeing to binding arbitration.

Let us hope and pray that some tragedy does not take place involving one of our children resulting from this dispute.
 

Richard Knight