British Columbia Premier John Horgan on March 16, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
British Columbia's premier says his government will replace a "one-size-fits-all" funding formula for schools because the current one doesn't account for differences in urban and rural communities.
John Horgan addressed members of the B.C. Teachers Federation at their annual general meeting in Vancouver ahead of contract talks set to begin in about 10 months.
Union president Glen Hansman says members want a wage hike but he's realistic that other public-sector workers will also be heading to the bargaining table at around the same time.
Hansman says "mature conversations" will make a difference for the union that had a bitter relationship with the former Liberal government, which in 2002 stripped teachers' right to bargain class size and composition.
He says B.C. teachers and their colleagues in Quebec have the lowest starting wage in the country, up to $20,000 lower than in other provinces.
Hansman says more teachers must be hired to meet the objectives of a landmark 2016 Supreme Court of Canada ruling requiring the province to restore staffing to 2002 levels, when the Liberals put the current funding formula in place.
