Dear Editor:
Come work here, but stay out of our parks?
The West Vancouver Teachers’ Association took no issue with the District of West Vancouver’s decision to charge for parking in district parks when it was announced. However, we did, along with our sister union the West Vancouver Municipal Employees Association, ask in writing on several occasions that our members be allowed access to the $20 annual parking pass, currently reserved for residents only.
To date we have heard nothing but silence from the mayor and council in response.
Teachers and city workers spend our days serving the citizens of West Vancouver. Teachers use parks, and they often bring their students with them, whether on field trips or other school activities.
Outside of class time, parks provide teachers a space to decompress after a challenging day at school, a place to exercise, or just a park bench and a view to clear the mind so teachers can be present to the children in their care.
What message is being sent by the district’s refusal to grant access to the $20 annual parking pass?
I think the message is that the municipality is happy our union members serve the people of West Vancouver but would prefer if workers left city environs as soon as the work is done. Heaven forbid the mayor and council had to encounter the workers of their municipality on a park trail.
Spencer Capier
President, West Vancouver Teachers' Association
