Vernon business hurting during teacher strike

VERNON – Uzair Shahid is supposed to be in school. Instead, he’s working shifts at his parents’ corner store on 27 Street.

“It’s really annoying—you can’t go to school and it affects the business as well,” Shahid says.

While he doesn’t mind making a little extra cash, he says the teacher strike is hurting business at Mac’s Convenience Store, across from W.L. Seaton Secondary.

Shahid says the store is normally filled with high school students grabbing snacks and drinks over the lunch hour. Now, the sitting area is empty and there are no lineups at the   popular Froster (slushie) machine.

With the loss of around 50-60 students over the lunch hour, and more during before and after school hours, Shahid estimates the store is losing some $800 to $1,000 a day.

“Nowadays, no one’s coming,” Shahid says.

The Seaton Secondary grade 12 student sees his teachers every now and again, coming off the picket lines for a bite to eat. He’d rather see them in the classroom.

He suspects other businesses that serve students are also hurting right now, and like the rest of us, doesn’t know when it will all be over.

B.C. teachers recently voted in favour of ending the strike through binding arbitration, but the provincial government continues to reject the option. Education minister Peter Fassbender recently softened his stance on another alternative: legislating teachers back to work.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.