Today I was one of the 28,809 teachers that voted yes in favour of a strike escalation. I did so with a heavy heart. As a new teacher, I can’t afford to go on strike. As somebody who values public education, I can’t afford not to.

Imagine you are a guardian of a child. You want the best for your child but you know that:

• BC is investing $1,000 less per student than the national average.
• There are 1,443 fewer learning specialist teachers in BC than in 2001–02, despite increased demand.
• BC has the worst student-educator ratio in Canada.