Letters sent to The Premier, Minister of Education, MLA's and Quesnel School District Trustees...
July 29, 2002
To: School District 28 Trustees Louise Scott (Chair),
Jim Girvin, Sandy Robertson, Caroline Neilsen
Dear Louise, Jim, Caroline and Sandy:
I am sure that you have had a number of letters concerning the closure of the school in Wells, however, I wish to express my worries and concerns from the perspective of being one of the ministers privileged to be associated with the Wells community. In the spring the prayers requested by the children during church services were that school would stay open. I hope that prayers this year are not for their own safety as they travel five days a week by bus. Please reexamine your decision to close the school in the community of Wells.
Each month from September to May I travel from Quesnel to Wells to lead the people in worship at the Wells United Community Church. During my winter travels the mountain highway has sometimes had treacherous conditions. Those of us who live in Quesnel may not fully understand this. Wells is not a bedroom community of Quesnel and the folks living there drive into Quesnel only out of necessity. I understand that the only regular commuters are the high school students and it is not unusual for some teens to stay over with family friends during the worst of winter. The highway crews living in Wells will always get right to the plows but are only responsible for the top half of the highway. The rest of the highway is attended to by the same crews handling the highway 97 and as is understandable the main highway is their priority. In March this year Wells and the highway received half a metre of snow in one day. This is not an unusual occurrence. I would be greatly concerned about the safety of young children busing on the mountain highway daily when such storms are not unusual.
The community of Wells is unique and vital and the school provides the services to the families that maintain this vitality. I understand the need to always examine the spending priorities within publicly funded institutions but in this case I can see much more is being lost than a small rural school. The vitality of the Wells community is at risk and with it an important asset both for the present and future economic health of the area. From my perspective of being minister to the community I can see the stress that young children on the road will add to families. I am also concerned for the lost connection to other services for the families such as school counselors and a teacher that knows and understands the social context of the children. There seem be questions whether there really are significant dollars being saved, so it would be a responsible move to respond to these questions since so much is at stake. The closing of the school risks the vitality of the community and no rock should be left unturned. I am greatly concerned for the people of the community.
There is no doubt the task is difficult for anyone having to juggle the needs of the few with the needs of the majority and with dwindling resources. It is particularly troubling when decisions are being made that effect the lives of children. I can only imagine the stress involved in the process. Thank you for being willing to be one of the people making the tough decisions. I encourage you now to make a tougher decision and speak out to reverse the closure of the Wells school.
Over the past decades there has been slow dismantling of small communities throughout Canada. Hospitals, schools, and other services are lost to the larger centres partly due to the increasing urbanization of Canada and partly due to the decrease in available public funds. We have been feeling this in Quesnel and throughout the region. If there is an alternative let's choose to maintain services. I will still be travelling to Wells regularly to attend to the spiritual needs to the people. The church has not abandoned this community and I respectively ask that school board does not as well. There is too much at stake.
Yours Respectfully,
The Rev. Bill Booth
Quesnel B.C.
Cc: Dr. John Wilson, MLA Cariboo North
Hon. Christy Clark, Minister of Education
