I am one of the retiring teachers referred to in the recent letter to the editor about the teachers' strike. Like every other teacher in this province, I can vouch for the accuracy of the writer's statements, and agree with the writer that this strike is not primarily about wages. After all, the provincial offer and the teachers' response are less than a percentage apart. This strike is about class size and composition and the Liberal government's ignoring two B.C. Supreme Court rulings that they illegally stripped working conditions from our contract which they ripped up.
Then, I look at your "Citizen Poll" and its disingenuous questions. None of the questions suggests the issues raised in the article, and all focus on salary. Did you even read the letter or follow the news before you put this poll together? Unsurprisingly, as the letter writer pointed out, the majority response is that teachers are paid well enough, despite having had no salary increases for six of the last 16 years, and being the next to lowest paid teachers in Canada. British Columbians should be grateful that due to the hard working teachers, this province's education system is rated the best in Canada, despite the struggles they face as outlined in the letter.
I am glad to be retiring and leaving this province, but sad that my fellow teachers must still put up with the disrespect evident in your choice of poll questions and the predictable responses.
Andrew Williams
Terrace
