Union not consulted on crossing guard cuts
Posted Jun 30, 2014 07:13:25 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s the last day of school for students across Nova Scotia, and it’s also the last day of work for a handful of crossing guards in the Halifax region.
Regional police decided to “withdraw services” from eight intersections after studying traffic patterns and the number of students using the crosswalks over two days.
“Of the eight, there’s some crosswalks where simply there’s no students crossing, or as little as one, two and three,” said police Supt. Sean Auld.
Halifax Regional School Board spokesman Doug Hadley said the board understands police can’t put a crossing guard at every intersection.
“We appreciate they take it so seriously as to do analyses, and if necessary, move the resources where they’re needed,” Hadley said.
But the union representing the crossing guards says it wasn’t consulted on the move, and it was surprised by the announcement.
“What I would like them to do is better assessment,” said CUPE 4814 President Glenna Casavechia.
“You can’t put a price on a child’s life,” she said.
Police Supt. Auld says parents were notified of the cuts, which take effect at the start of the coming school year, and he’s already received a few calls.
“I’m hoping that I can have that conversation with them — that once they understand the criteria that we use, they’ll understand the decision to withdraw services from those eight,” he said.
