Skip to content

LETTER: Ontario teachers should be able to transfer to B.C. without red tape

Who is to blame? B.C.’s Ministry of Education or the B.C. Teacher Federation, the union?
31744384_web1_classroom-824120_1280

Re: “District 33 looking for uncertified teachers,” Progress News page 1, and “Ontario teacher thwarted by red tape,” Progress Letters, both Jan. 13, 2023.

Interesting to note that two connected items appeared in the same edition of The Chilliwack Progress on Jan. 13.

The Chilliwack school district is so short of teachers that they intend to hire “uncertified” teachers to help solve the problem. At the same time, a “certified” teacher from Ontario looked into moving to B.C.

Unfortunately, she discovered that the amount of red tape was so overwhelming that she gave up. In theory, a certified teacher from Ontario should be able to transfer and become a certified teacher in B.C. without difficulty or delay. Not so, according to Heather McArdle’s letter.

So which bureaucracy is to blame here? B.C.’s Ministry of Education or the B.C. Teacher Federation, the union?

We are supposed to have free and unfettered trade between provinces, but we do not. And why not? Hopefully our MP Mark Strahl can look into this.

Rolf Van Nuys

• Send your letter to the editor via email to editor@theprogress.com. Please include your first and last name, address, and phone number.

• READ MORE: Chilliwack Progress Letters