Written by MARK NIELSEN
Citizen staff
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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 |
City hall will send a letter to the provincial government and the College of New Caledonia urging reinstatement of three programs for people with disabilities, suspended by the school's board of directors suspended for a year in a struggle to pass a balanced budget.
City council voted 7-1 in favour of the move Monday night in response to a recommendation from the city's accessibility advisory committee.
Some reluctance was expressed about getting involved in an issue not directly within council's range of responsibilities.
"I wouldn't be particularly appreciative of CNC writing letters supporting other organizations concerned about the decisions we make here," said Coun. Don Bassermann.
But others said the city's involvement in the Measuring Up The North, a program to assess accessibility in northern B.C. communities, compels council to get involved.
Coun. Murry Krause, who once sat on the CNC board of directors, said he knows how challenging budget deliberations can be, "but I really do think we have to get a message out and to the other levels of government that these are really important programs that we have to stand behind."
Coun. Glen Scott voted against the motion but only because he felt the letter won't be as strongly worded as it should be.
The letter will urge the province and CNC to explore every means possible of finding the funding to revive the three programs, known as Open Doors, Target and JET.
Open Doors is designed for disabled students who need to learn at their own pace; JET is for students who need very little support to obtain employment; and Target is for those who need a lot of support to become employable.
In a March 10 announcement of programs proposed for suspension, CNC president John Bowman said the three programs with small class sizes and higher faculty-staff to student ratios "are among the most expensive programs delivered on a full-time student basis."
He said the total cost for 44 students is about $447,000 annually.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 08 October 2008 )
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