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CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
To 'build, baby, build,' this country is going to need a whole lot more shop teachers
To meet the federal government's promise to "build, baby, build," the country is going to need a whole lot more skilled trades workers. But a shortage of shop class teachers in Canadian high schools might make them hard to find. "We have a massive shortage of trained teachers," said Andy Strothotte, who has been a shop teacher for 31 years and is president of the British Columbia Technology Education Teachers Association. His counterparts in other parts of the country report the same. About 700,000 skilled trades workers are set to retire between 2019 and 2028, according to federal government numbers, and shop classes are a key tool for getting students interested in pursuing those careers. The number of new tradespeople needed may even be higher than that, given the Liberal government's promise to build 500,000 homes per year, and to undertake various — yet unspecified — "nation-building" infrastructure projects. There's a shortage of all teachers in British Columbia, but Strothotte told Cost of Living that it's particularly challenging to recruit people to teach woodworking, metal work or other tech classes. Those jobs are so specialized — plus, a teacher's starting salary is less than people typically make in the trades. "We're working on trying to get salary equality recognized, so that people who have a trades background who have this Red Seal, have years of experience, get a bump up on the pay scale," said Strothotte, who teaches at Westview Secondary School in Maple Ridge, B.C. High cost to retrain as a teacher Even worse, prospective shop teachers give up those good salaries to take on several years of school expenses. In B.C., the main pathway to becoming a tech-ed teacher is to spend two years at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) doing a technology education teaching diploma, followed by one year at the University of British Columbia in general teaching education. "That's a huge hit for a family to take, to be three years out of the industry, out of work," said Strothotte. The training used to take just two years if you already had trades experience. There are some lobbying efforts underway to try to reinstate that accelerated program, he says. Ontario also has a tech education teacher shortage, in part because what used to be a one-year teacher's college program became two years in 2015, says Christine German, executive director of the Ontario Council for Technology Education. "This two-year teacher's college is really creating a barrier for all teachers, but also us," said German. Though some of the tech education teacher training programs are 16 months, with online components to add flexibility, candidates are still paying double the tuition they used to, and often incurring travel costs as well, she says. Documents obtained by the Canadian Press in April revealed that Ontario is considering shortening the teacher training to address the problem of plummeting admissions to teacher's colleges. Cost of Living reached out to every provincial and territorial government, asking for the number of vacant tech education positions and plans to address the problem. Among the eight that responded by publication time, most said they do not tabulate the number of vacancies, and that individual boards would have that data. But Nunavut, B.C., Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador all pointed to various initiatives to recruit and retain teachers, including tech educators. Strothotte says issues like burn-out, injury or working conditions might bring some tradespeople into tech ed. "Or they're just tired of lying under a diesel cat at minus 60 degrees in the tundra, and they'd rather be working in a heated shop with students and sharing their passion with them," he said. Maryke Simmonds worked in theatre for two decades, building props and sets, but went back to school at BCIT to become a shop teacher. She graduated last August, along with 21 others. "At school, they told us that Surrey [School District] could take all of us — right away after graduation — and still need more shop teachers." That doesn't surprise Strothotte. B.C. currently has around 55 open jobs for shop teachers and if those don't get filled, classes will get cancelled, he said. Sometimes that means the shops themselves will get shuttered — in some cases, never to reopen again, he says. WATCH | This college event introduced female high school students to the trades: 'Jill of All Trades' introduces female high school students to the skilled trades 1 month ago Duration 2:19 Facilities and materials often in short supply That's another limitation for provinces looking to bolster their ranks of tradespeople — not every high school has a shop, and some that once did have been converted to other kinds of classrooms when interest in and funding for tech education classes waned. In Ontario, the provincial government made it mandatory for every student to take at least one tech education credit as of the 2024-25 school year. "This is our government saying it's really important for our students to explore technological education — skilled trades and technology — as early as they possibly can because it's a fantastic thing for students, [and] very, very needed in our country," said German. Stotthotte says the funding for materials hasn't "hasn't really changed" in the last 15 years. He canvasses local businesses for donations of scraps, or jumps in his pickup when he sees listings on Facebook for free plywood or other supplies. In Calgary, there's a new partnership called Adopt-a-Shop between high schools and the Calgary Construction Association, in which home builders, plumbing companies and others donate money, materials and expertise. That kind of initiative supports students like Tayah Kilb, who just finished Grade 11 at Central Memorial High School in Calgary, to explore the possibility of a career in the trades. Kilb says she had never considered it before she took a woodworking class this year, first making a table for her family room, then some custom furniture for her bedroom. "I have a completely pink room and I couldn't find any bedside table that matched it … so I just made one in construction and painted it pink." The experience has her set her sights on working in construction as a framer.
CBC
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Nova Scotian lighthouse lamp found in B.C. thrift store ignites cross-country friendship
Julia Ghersini found a lighthouse lamp in a Maple Ridge, B.C., thrift store and realized it was a unique, hand-painted item by Nova Scotia's John and Sheila Jordan. When she posted about it on Facebook, her post went viral, and she ended up meeting Amanda Farnsworth-Thibodeau, a great-niece of the Jordans, who has her own version of the lighthouse.
CTV News
14-06-2025
- CTV News
Bear killed after attack in Maple Ridge
Vancouver Watch A Maple Ridge woman is recovering after being attacked by a bear. The bear was killed by police and a search is underway for its two cubs.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- CTV News
Police kill bear that attacked Maple Ridge woman, search ongoing for orphaned cubs
In this Saturday, June 14, 2014 photo, a mother black bear wanders with her two spring cubs near the parking garage along Alumni Drive in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Bob Hallinen) Mounties in Maple Ridge killed a bear after it attacked a woman in her backyard Thursday night, officials confirmed. According to the Ministry of Environment, the black bear swiped the victim on the side of the head. She was treated in hospital, but police described her injuries as minor. 'RCMP destroyed the suspected offending bear – a sow with two cubs,' the ministry wrote in a statement to CTV News. Conservation officers were sent to the area early Friday morning, and are still searching for the orphaned cubs on foot, in vehicles, and in the air with drones. The ministry asked anyone who sees the bear cubs to call the Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277. The Ridge Meadows RCMP sent a warning to residents about wildlife encounters in light of the bear attack, which said officers responded to 'an incident involving a resident and a bear' Thursday, but did not elaborate further. When CTV News asked police how they came to the decision to kill the bear, they wrote in a statement: 'The decision to dispatch an animal by police is always made on the basis of whether it is potentially dangerous or suffering. Given the nature of the call, including the injury sustained by the resident and the bear still posing a threat on the resident's property, officers were forced to act in the interest of public safety and make a difficult decision. We continue to work with our BC Conservation Officer Service and municipal partners to educate the public and prevent further incidents such as this involving wildlife.' Mounties also said an aggressive coyote bit a dog on Tuesday. 'While bear and coyote sightings are common in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, Ridge Meadows RCMP is taking this opportunity to remind residents to stay vigilant and use precaution,' police wrote in a news release Friday. 'We all play a significant role in determining how wildlife will interact with humans. Educating yourself and your family can help prevent such encounters.' Police reminded residents to keep dogs on a leash, secure their garbage, and to never approach or feed wildlife.
CBC
13-06-2025
- CBC
Surrey, B.C., man charged with impaired and dangerous driving after deadly crash in Burnaby, B.C.
A Surrey, B.C., man has been charged with impaired and dangerous driving in connection with a Burnaby, B.C., crash that left two people dead and injured three others last year. Two women from Maple Ridge were killed on Feb. 18, 2024, when a minivan and a Tesla collided on Highway 1 eastbound near the Sprott Street exit, according to an RCMP press release. Police say two other Maple Ridge women in their 20s and a Surrey man in his 30s were seriously hurt. Chi Sun Park, 35, is facing 15 criminal charges, including dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm, as well as charges related to driving while impaired by drugs. The charges come after an investigation by B.C. Highway Patrol. "This matter is now before the courts and no further information will be released at this time in order to respect the court process," said the release. Park was released on bail with no cash deposit required. His next court date is scheduled for July 24.
