Mark H.

Hey Mr. Mike - they gonna take that away - then what?

It was a decent team, but teams were beginning to clue in on their scheme - chickens came home roost in '08

I would also add - they didn't have Canadian backing up Gauthier, banking on him staying healthy, which he did.

Oh indeed. Canada, Sheridan, and Goodspeed were all re-signed for the '08 season. Of the results - I shall not speak

I guess they want some long drawn out sports reports...

Before every game against Kevin Glenn, it's the same conversation. They've been trying to get pressure on him ever since Mike Kelly released him. Back in '07, when the O began lose some of their edge, it wasn't because of pressure. It was because teams were taking away some of his underneath options and forcing him to throw downfield more. Once that was established, the pressure became more effective. That being said - if S.J. Greene stays healthy I think Glenn will have a fine season chucking the pigskin.

Precisely - stats are for losers. 400 yards of offence mean nothing when you don't execute on those 3 - 5 key plays that are the difference in every football game.

Finally some rain for Fort Mac

Sure it's true, how couldn't it be? However, the NDP have also brought in things that are a negative for teachers. The new reports cards are terrible, especially at the elementary level. Also, funding for special needs students has decreased while expectations have increased. Again, we're back to that murky middle.

No, because you can't. I have really good friends who go above and beyond every single day. However, sometimes (or years) you get a tough group or a difficult student. Without getting into too much legalize, you could be threading on the human rights of the students if you made those kinds of assessments

I have been teaching for over 10 years and have also chaired collective bargaining for the local association. I'm very much aware of those issues and have wrestled with them. However, not negotiating to improve working conditions wouldn't be fair to those who are dedicated. It's a tough balancing act.

That's fair enough KBF. To tell you the truth, I was deliberately taking things to the other end of the spectrum to bring in the other perspective. We both know the truth is somewhere in the murky middle. Sorry for making you puke in your mouth, puke sucks.

No comment. Other than you seem to have friends or relatives in pretty much every career that gets discussed on here.

1. There is still plenty of volunteer work happening, hundreds of hours of extra curricular activity. The most unions have achieved is specific wording that extra curricular activities are voluntary 2. Incentive to go to PD is already in place. It's fully funded and if you upgrade your qualifications you will receive a raise in pay.

Every province except Quebec has 190 instructional days plus 10 Professional Development days. The PD days save the system millions of dollars because if we didn't have them they would have to pay a substitute every time a teacher attended a workshop. Here in MB, where the PD days fall is up to individual school divisions but I don't how it works in other provinces

The BCTF definitely messed up, I agree. Instead of taking money they took clauses that were not going to be sustainable. Now the back room deal is gone and their teachers are among the lowest paid in Canada.

What I find most exasperating is the NDP claiming that they help low income people. They had 17 years to raise the income tax exemption but it still sits at $8000. Just bloody ridiculous.

The GST is a fair tax because it is not applied to basic necessities and many businesses and farms are eligible for rebates. It's a consumption tax; if people don't like it they can choose to spend less.

Lagging behind a neighbouring province by $20 000 is not something that just occurred recently. It would be the cumulative result of consistently lagging behind, through the terms of more than a few governments. That 'back room deal' has now been stripped out of the contract, but the salary that was given up in exchange for it will never be recouped. If you don't think that's relevant, then I'll just agree to disagree and move on.

Dominant comeback win by the Hawks, they can still crank it up when they want to

I just don't quite understand how you arrive at some of your conclusions. BC teachers are the fourth lowest paid teachers in Canada. If you compare the maximum salary for a teacher with 5 year degree, they make $20 000 less than the highest paid teachers (Alberta). Their latest contract (2013 - 2019) includes two years of wage freezes. The total salary increase is 7.25%, which averages out to 1.2% annually. That's a very low rate for a 6 year agreement. I don't see how any of that is unreasonable, nor do I understand why other unions would hate them, given that the teachers are paid significantly less than those in other provinces.

Ummm no. They got those clauses because they took wage freezes. The highest paid teachers in Canada are actually in Alberta. Funny thing, it was all negotiated with a PC government in power

About the ongoing BCTF discussion: the reason the teacher's union got control over class size and composition is because they gave up salary increases to get it. Methinks they'll just take the money going forward.

That isn't great, but goaltending isn't as important as it used to be. Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Detroit all won Stanley Cups with average goaltending. The days where guys like Hasek and Brodeur can carry a trap playing team on their shoulders are long past.

The evidence is clear. Just give this city something to cheer for. Give people a team that's even decent - they'll be there