B.C. Premier wades into teachers’ dispute

VANCOUVER – B.C. Premier Christy Clark is weighing in from the sidelines of social media on the government’s feud with striking teachers while classes in public schools are delayed for another day.

In a Facebook post published Tuesday night, Clark says no one wants to see schools closed because of the ongoing teachers’ strike, but the government must stand firm or the labour dispute will never end.

Clark has not answered the teachers’ union’s call to come to the bargaining table, but she sent a series of tweets on the weekend, blaming the union for not backing down from its wage demands and for the delay in the school year.

Contract negotiations between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the government’s bargaining team have reached an impasse, with the union accusing the province of wanting teachers to give up certain bargaining rights, and the government slamming the union for unreasonable salary demands.

On Tuesday, teachers and parents vented their frustration outside the B.C. legislature, Clark’s West Kelowna office, and Education Minister Peter Fassbender’s office on what would normally have been the first day of school.

Another rally is expected to take place outside Clark’s office on Wednesday afternoon.