' THE CARIBOO has topped the northwest

ne
_ Tate in this region at 6.4 per cent compared

~ when it comes to the dubious distinction of
; having the highest unemployment rate in the

province.
May’ s figures place the unemployment

~ "to the Cariboo’s 6.9'per cent.

“The next highest ranking of the 10 regions

“measured monthly was the Abbotsford area ’.
’ es are starting to move. They seem to have .

“hit their low point and are on their way up,”

with arate of 5.7 percent.
May’ s unemployment rate was also better

_ than last May’s 8.7 per cent and better than

~ this April’s figure of 7.7 per cent.

_. » But even though the rate dropped, there |
were’ ‘fewer people working, inthis region

~ 43,500 — compared to the 45, 100 of last

_ May.’

“edges the potential bonus «°

o efor teachers, Veralynn Mun- ~~
"+: son says. that.won’t distract ..:.
_ them’ from seeking the sal-

 - ary ‘increases they feel they

7 ~ deserve. .

- -the employers had previ-
* " ously been offering. .

~ of a 19 per cent. increase

Still, 34,600 people had full- time “obs this .
~ May, which is more than tast May’s 33,000.

And that means there were fewer people

*. working part time this May - 8,900 — while

‘12,100 people had part-time jobs last May.
. The figures are for the area from the

* Queen Charlotte Islands to just west of: Van-

“derhoof. ..

Federal labour analyst Patrick McIntyre *
said this May’s figures indicate the econo- .

my is starting to Pick up with the arrival of

e Spring...

- It’s ¢ down to the wire :
: for teacher contract

At2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday; June 28, 2006

7 Jobless rate falls |
-butso do workers

- strengthning and that’s a positive thing,” he

unemployed compared t to 5 ,000 people last °

TO ALL RESIDENTS

gr Mme]yl K Ge I. Please have your dog
ae Vpen fT ~ leashed or fenced-in away
| from your mail boxes on:
. “It’s still slow, but it’s there,” he said, WA (Tow _ ; Wednesdays and Saturdays
 Mkatyre wee sheared bythe ‘ump in full- 000 oo - | _ So your newspape r carrier
time work this year compared to last year. can deliver your Paper, 7

_ “I think what we are seeing here is a _ itt be worth itl

said. “You are going to see continued growth:
but it won’t be as fast.”
“Mining and forestry and applied scienc- 7

Mcintyre continued...

"The employment data is also showing. ,
more managers and more construction work- .
ers in the area than before.

May’s figure of 3,500 construction work:
ers topped the last highest figure on record ' &
which was 3, 400 i in August 1998. ae

This’ May 3,000 people: were listed as

May. »-
“What that means: is that people, have -
found work,” said McIntyre.

The provincial ‘unemployment rate. was.
4.7 per cent, a slight drop from April’ $4.8 -
per cent. =.

Alberta continues’ to lead the country with
an- unemployment rate of just 3.4 per cent.
while the national average is is 6. 1 per cent.

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BC. TEACHERS remained -
°.” hopeful late last week they
' will come'to a negotiated
= -settlement

with © their.
employers by this Friday

_ When. the current contract
* expires. a fe

‘The June 30 date i is also .

_ ‘significant because’ it marks
--the government’s. deadline’
- for teachers to each collect a»
_ Signing bonus in the $3, 000,
~. to $4,000 range. ;
-- "+ While the local. teachers’.

- union. . president ° -acknowl-"

$10, 000:$12, 000 : more can’
be earned. on average by
teachers: —_—-

Hugh Finlayson,
executive officer with the
BCPSEA, says.teachers here
are .no different than B c.
nurses.)

»“Teachers are third onav-. ti
erage (among the provinces) © -

and so are the nurses,” Fin-
layson said, adding teachers

would have’ to follow other
« public sector workers in the

‘chief

“zone. settlement” range “of 7

eight to 14 percent. .

“A deal is possible but it
‘requires realism,” Finlayson vs
_said. “We’re running out of « «

time with the BCTF.” ~~

-Both sides’ maintain. that,
bargaining will continue un- ..

til a deal gets done.

A

“Other public sector set-
tlements have been’ reached | .

on the last day and we won't

. be. any different,”

added Lf.
Munson. :

3 DAYS - S EVENTS — PURE AGONY
ARE YOU TOUGH ENOUGH?

~” =

: i LS

~ Out Spo Ke ae

WEE: opo SPORE

PREOD Kaci Eo

Zarcan’s 6

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MO ee

BOARD SHRP !

teoeaas mae fone

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ONION LAKE

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- will have to live with our
. Salary for the next three to

.. Munson maintains teach-
ers just want to reach a deal

jeopardized ‘by. a potential

_ ers’

‘Public School Employers’ ”
" Association (BCPSEA), was
rejected’ last .week: by the

_ executive committee.
“for four years would have

' granted teachers a 10 per |
-cent wage increase." That’s

* adequate. —

“The signing “bonus. is
real. It’s.there but we're |
not going to (seek it) at any
cost,” Munson said. “We

four years.”

so the next school year is not

strike. Teachers voted unan-
imously earlier this month to
strike in the fall if their sal-
ary demands.aren’t met.

An offer from the teach- '
employer, the B.C.

local teachers’ union presi-
dents and the teachers’ union

The. proposed contract

up from the eight per cent

Munson said after a one
per cent average raise over
the last 11 years, the increase -
to.2.5 per cent a year is not

The teachers have coun-
tered with a salary demand «

over three years, down from

an initial 24 per cent.

. Teachers here maintain.
they’ve fallen too far be-
hind their counterparts in

Alberta and Ontario, prov-

inces where Munson says

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