For immediate release
Thurs. Sept. 11, 2014
VICTORIA, B.C. – A petition released by Green MLA Andrew Weaver on Monday afternoon, which calls on the BC government to accept binding arbitration with the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, has accumulated 25,000 signatures in three days. Weaver has now announced a goal of doubling those signatures to 50,000.
“We initially had a goal of 10,000 signatures. We surpassed that in 24 hours. We then increased that goal to 15,000, but accumulated more than 20,000 by the end of the second day. British Columbians are overwhelmingly voicing their strong desire for an end to the dispute between the B.C. government and the B.C.T.F. We are enabling those voices to be heard,” said Weaver. “Binding arbitration has been overwhelmingly voted for by teachers, and with the current impasse, is clearly the only route to get students and teachers back in classrooms.”
Interim-Leader of the B.C. Green Party Adam Olsen speaks enthusiastically about the impact of Weaver’s work on this issue: “Andrew comes from a professional background in education – he is passionate about the issue and understands what’s at stake when teachers can’t teach, students can’t learn, and parents can’t find adequate childcare for their children. I’m so proud that the B.C. Green Party, through Andrew’s work, has been able to move forward on this issue, pressuring an inactive and unresponsive government to do what's right, fair and in the clear interest of putting families first.”
Weaver hopes that a petition with 50,000 signatures will make a profound statement about the current bargaining impasse the government is perpetuating by refusing to accept binding arbitration. Once the goal has been reached, he will deliver the petition to Premier Christy Clark and Minister of Education Peter Fassbender.
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Petition: http://www.greenparty.bc.ca/bindingarbitrationnow
Media contacts
For Andrew Weaver, MLA, Oak Bay-Gordon Head
Mat Wright, Press Secretary
1.250.216.3382 | [email protected]
For Interim-Leader Adam Olsen and B.C. Green Party
Stefan Jonsson, Director of Communications
1.250.514.0288 | [email protected]