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Read the latest news in BC post-secondary education.

  • Making your vote count on November 19

    On November 19, voters across BC will head to the polls. No, it’s not a federal election or a provincial election. It’s polling day in over 400 municipalities for the positions of mayor, councilors, local board members and regional district representatives. Municipal elections don’t always attract the same attention or participation that we see at…

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    Teachers' dispute: labour solidarity shines bright

    The biggest teachers’ dispute in BC’s history is over and it’s time to reflect on lessons learned. Certainly, those in the Premier’s office are still trying to figure out what happened. In a dispute where the government was convinced that strike-bound classrooms would turn public support against teachers, the results were the exact opposite. Close…

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    New legislative session but same bad habits

    Only twelve days into the new legislative session in Victoria and it’s clear that the next four years is going to be a steady uphill climb for FPSE members and others in BC’s labour movement. Whether it was their lackluster throne speech, their mini-budget gift to the province’s business community or the legislatively-imposed contract on…

  • A new government faces serious issues

    Here we are again at the beginning of a new educational year. I want to welcome new members of FPSE locals and to acknowledge those whose ongoing work makes our federation strong at the provincial and local levels. It is fitting that we begin the year with a celebration of Labour Day. I know that…

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    Presidents' Report to 2005 AGM

    We began this year with a name change and the excitement that this entails. We had a new logo, a new look and an opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to the media. It was an energizing way to begin what would be a hectic year. Because it was a bargaining year and because of the provincial…

  • Government secrecy, budget cuts and privatization – week one of the BC election

    The BC Provincial Election is off and running – to nobody’s surprise. There is something about having a fixed date for an election that robs it of the writ-dropping drama we are accustomed to. Could it also be that the Campbell Liberal government’s taxpayer-funded advertising campaign that ran through the fall and into the spring…

  • It’s time to send a message – An education shouldn’t cost this much

    There’s an election coming and the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators is getting involved. We asked our members what they thought about the issues, the record of the BC Government on education and other issues, and the level of political involvement they want to see from their organizations. The answers were pretty clear. Post-secondary educators are…

  • Victory for post-secondary educators in court, Education Council must be consulted rules BC Supreme Court

    We are currently facing campaigns and battles on many fronts as post-secondary educators. I know that we sometimes wonder if the struggles are worth it, given the time and resources that they can take. There’s nothing like a little victory to re-energize us and this commentary is about one such victory. A recent decision of…

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    2005 will be a defining year for education

    WE ALL BEGIN THE NEW YEAR with a strong sense of the importance of friends and allies and a reminder of how quickly our world can change. The tragedy which has unfolded in Southeast Asia over the past several weeks also reminds us all that we must care for one another as individuals, as unions…

  • Our voices should be heard in the 2005 budget consultation

    How would you spend $4.5 billion? While it may be harder this year to get in the door to answer the question, this is the 2005 budget question. It’s that time of year again when the BC Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services – a committee of the BC Legislature – traverses the province…