FOR working parents scrambling to find childcare, next week's promised teachers' strike poses a serious challenge, but for North Shore businesses and municipal governments, the walkout presents an opportunity.
In the wake of the BCTF's announcement Thursday that its members would stay away from school Monday through Wednesday, parents throughout the community have casting about to find an alternative for their kids. Ski hills, rec centres, even golf courses have stepped in to fill the void.
Of the North Shore's three ski resorts, Grouse Mountain was first out of the gate, with the announcement of special ski and snowboard and educational camps that will run 8: 30 a.m to 3: 30 p.m. for the three-day strike period. The programs, which will feature skiing lessons and other activities for school-age kids, run to $235 for a full three-day package including rental and lift ticket.
"We were monitoring the news closely to find out what would happen," said spokeswoman Ainslie Fincham. "Many of us here in the office have young kids, and (the strike's) a real issue for all of us, so it was top of mind. Because we have programs and facilitators and facilities in place, it was sort of a natural fit to expand on them to support kids and parents in need."
The camps, which together can take about 400 students, were already filling up Friday, said Fincham.
Cypress Mountain followed close behind with a three-day Snow Camp aimed at kids aged seven to 14. The full three-day package, including ticket, rental, camp and lunch will run parents $279.
"I've got an eight-year-old at home, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him come Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, so this is a great option to keep him busy when they should be at school," said Joffrey Koeman, director of sales and marketing for the resort.
The resort's North Vancouver neighbour, Mount Seymour, announced a similar package Friday, with a three-day kids camp for $199 - including lift tickets, equipment rentals, lunch and shuttle - and a three-day snowshoeing and tubing camp for $149.
At the same time, the North Shore's municipalities were also scrambling to throw open their doors. The North Vancouver Recreation Commission launched all-day camps at five community centres for the three-day strike period, with prices starting at $41.60 a day, and West Van's rec commission will be running programs at the West Vancouver and Gleneagles community centres starting at $45 a day.
"Our programmers are wonderful; they put everything together yesterday," said recreation commission marketing assistant Sharon King. "Everything was dropped and they got all the staff together (to organize it)."
King said she anticipated the programs would be about half-full by the end of Friday.
Even Northlands Golf Course is getting in on the act. In tweets and Facebook posts Thursday, the District of North Vancouver municipal course offered marooned high school students a special $25 rate for all-day play with lunch included.
"We just threw it out (Thursday); it was just kind of on a whim," said Northlands marketing manager Curtis Johnston. "It's wait and see if there's any interest."
Day cares also extended hours to accommodate the anticipated rush. Bee Haven Childcare, which operates three facilities in North Vancouver, offered to take existing clients' kids for the entire day at no additional charge, inviting parents to drop off youngsters at 8: 30 a.m. and pick them up at 3: 30 p.m. for no money above their usual fees - except possibly for admission to excursion destinations.
"The teachers strike hurts everybody," said Bee Haven owner Louise Warner. "(Often) both parents work for a reason. To add costs through something that's not their fault, we feel is a bit unfair."
By Friday, about two-thirds of the daycare's families had taken it up on the offer, said Warner, leaving the company with about a dozen vacancies for outside kids. Parents who were not already clients would likely be charged, though, said Warner.
With a ban on picketing imposed by the Labour Relations Board, schools will be open during the job action with a skeleton staff of administrators and other non-BCTF workers. No instruction will be offered, however, and both school districts were actively encouraging parents to keep their kids at home.
"From our past experience, it would be very unusual for a child to show up during a teachers' strike," said West Vancouver school district spokeswoman Andrea Wilson.
Beyond next week, the walkout is expected to resume for one school day in every five or until the provincial government's Bill 22 is past into law. Debate on the legislation is expected to continue into next week. It's not clear when a voter will take place.
Contacts: Cypress Mountain Snow School: 604.926.5612; Mount Seymour sales office: 604-986-2261 ext. 404; Grouse Mountain Resorts: 604-980-9311; West Vancouver registration: 6049212107; Northlands Golf Course: 604 924-2950; Bee Haven enrollment line: 604-908-2262; North Vancouver Recreation Commission: www.northvanrec.com.
SETTING IT STRAIGHT
A Feb. 22 story, CapU Pushes for Waterfront Campus, suggested that the university had reached agreement to run training programs out of the former Plymouth elementary building.
In fact, no decision has been made by the North Vancouver Board of Education on what to do with the Plymouth site.
