Dear Editor:
An open letter to Burnaby mayor and council:
The Burnaby Now ran an article in their Feb. 4 issue pointing out the proposed 2.98 per cent tax increase for Burnaby residents as well as the fact that the City of Burnaby posted earnings of $150 million on cash and investments. No sure why we are looking at any tax increases when we have $827,411,505 in the bank, but I do see the need to make investments. With recent advertising by the federal government for their tax credit programs and no interest loans for trades apprentices I thought it was important to write to you and encourage Burnaby to invest in Canada's future.
My son is a Grade 11 student at Burnaby South Secondary. Recently I spoke with my son and his woodwork instructor about the projects the students are working on and the tools and equipment in the wood and metal shops. The projects they are building compare to Grade 8 and 9 projects from when I attended Killarney Secondary School in Vancouver in the late '70s and early '80s.
During my years in shop class, there were high-quality wood and metal lathes for each and every student in the classroom and an aluminum foundry in the metal shop, making far more advanced projects possible. There was an auto shop, acetylene and arc welding, brake lathes and car hoists.
At South there is one broken wood lathe that no one has recently used, and as I understand it the metal shop isn't much better. No auto shop. I was told tools purchased by the school board are lower end and even a newer school like Byrne Creek has poorly equipped wood and metal shops.
There is no question Burnaby is doing some things right with its Ace-it program. The problem is many Burnaby parents and kids don't know the program exists and it is difficult to create interest if you don't start with good solid shop classes and classrooms in all of the high schools. At the rate we are going, it will be impossible to get students interested in the trades and Canada will continue to be short of skilled tradesmen and women.
It is time for Burnaby to make significant investments in its high school shop classrooms so that shop instructors have the tools to entice and educate future trades people. High school is the place to give kids a taste of the trades and to begin honing the skills they will need to enter into successful careers.
Keith Pinchin, Burnaby
