Parents setting up ‘MLA playdates’ to send message about teachers dispute
Posted September 2, 2014 7:03 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Don’t be surprised to see chalk drawings or maybe a group of kids playing hopscotch in front of your local MLA’s office.
A number of parents are taking their kids there to try to jump-start talks between the government and teachers. Moms and dads are getting together on Twitter, using the hashtag #MLAPlaydate to send a message about the education labour dispute.
Organizer Paul Dayson is the father of a special needs child and stands to lose out every day class isn’t in session.
“I do contract work right now, so it makes it rather hard. Lots of parents don’t have child care. I don’t have that problem because, yes, I can do it, but I’m not earning any money, either,” he tells us.
“A lot of parents do not have child care and will be at home — will be missing work — and this is a way for them to sort of make the MLAs aware of this,” he adds.
But this isn’t your everyday protest. Dayson says this is supposed to be fun. “And there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be. You know with sidewalk chalk, you can express yourself, you can have fun, you can play hopscotch. It’s a win-win.”
He plans to attend an “MLA Playdate” at the office of Burnaby North Liberal Richard T. Lee. He says ones just like it will happen every day between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. until kids are back in school.
