The chair of the park board says no vulnerable child will be left at risk at a community centre due to the teachers strike.
Vision Vancouver chair Constance Barnes says the park board is working with its community centres to ensure childcare programs are in place and that children have a safe place to go during the strike, which launched March 5.
A lot of parents cant afford to take time off work to stay home with their kids, Barnes said. So there is no way were going to let those kids be at risk.
Barnes says the park board is talking with community centres, such as Strathcona and Ray-Cam, in poorer neighbourhoods that run food programs to ensure kids dont go hungry for the duration of the strike.
This is going to be really tough on those East Side community centres, Barnes said.
She added some community centres are adopting open-gym programs where kids with nowhere to go can spend time taking part in organized activities. Barnes suggests parents call their closest community centre to find out what programs are offered during the strike.
The park board is listing daycare and program options on its website. Community centres offering childcare include Champlain, False Creek, Kensington and Killarney, while day camps are being held at Hillcrest, Kerrisdale, Kitsilano, Marpole-Oakridge and Roundhouse. Additional drop-in programs have been organized at Britannia, Dunbar, Hastings, Marpole-Oakridge, Mount Pleasant, Renfrew, Strathcona, Thunderbird and West Point Grey.
The park board has added extra times for swimming and ice skating during the day for parents looking for activities for their children. Contact your local community centre, rink or pool for more information.
The park board is providing a popular service by helping out parents and children during the strike, especially in Vancouvers poorest communities. But some might wonder why the park board often ends up shouldering additional responsibilities and the ensuing costs that go along with them every time theres a disruption to the school system, such as the recent addition of additional days off to save the school board money. In Vancouver at least, some might wonder if the cash-strapped park board has become the de facto safety net for the school board.
The park board is also gearing up for spring break, which starts in Vancouver next week. For the most up to date information on programs being offered during the strike and spring break, visit vancouver.ca/parks.
Get your goat
Barnes confirmed last week that Tryka the goat has a new home in Chilliwack.
Tryka was one of the goats relocated from the Stanley Park barnyard and petting zoo last year after that attraction closed. The park board discovered some weeks ago that some of the goats and sheep adopted out following the closure were possibly sold for slaughter.
But Tryka at least has enjoyed a happy ending since being reunited with some of the other former animals from the petting zoo at her new home in Chilliwack. As for the rumour that Tryka was pregnant, it turns out the 12-year-old Nigerian Dwarf doe is merely big boned.
Twitter: @sthomas10
