National

B.C. brings in 'bell to bell' school phone ban, as new access rules target protesters

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Aug, 2024 12:46 PM

Cellphone use will be restricted in all British Columbia school districts when pupils return next week, as the province becomes the latest to curtail the use of the devices in classrooms.

Premier David Eby says all school districts now have policies in place to ban cellphone use "bell to bell," in line with a government directive announced in April.

The province is also imposing "access zones" around schools allowing police to arrest or issue tickets to anyone found impeding access, disrupting educational activities, or attempting to intimidate an individual within 20 metres of school property.

My team and I are focused on making sure that all students are set up for success in a safe environment where they are supported.

By restricting cell phone use in the classroom, we are one step closer. pic.twitter.com/MQ3zPePqcY
— David Eby (@Dave_Eby) August 27, 2024

The zones will be in effect on school days from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., and during extracurricular school activities at all public and independent schools.

Eby says the government wants students to reach their full potential by restricting cellphones in classrooms and keeping harassing protesters away from school grounds.

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia all either have, or are in the process of creating, rules that restrict the use of cellphones by students.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Series of trailer and skid-steer thefts result in over $150K

Between May and June 2023, a suspect male has attended various Home Depot locations in Langley, Vancouver, Burnaby, Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam to steal Bobcat510 wheeled skid-steers and trailers. In all five incidents, the suspect rented the skid-steers using a false name, removed the GPS trackers and never returned them.

Series of trailer and skid-steer thefts result in over $150K

Lack of B.C. transplant surgeons means donated kidneys are sent elsewhere: doctors

Dr. David Harriman, a kidney transplant surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, said between eight and 10 surgeons are needed in B.C. so residents waiting for a kidney can benefit from the organs that were donated in the province. The B.C. Health Ministry said the province had six kidney transplant surgeons in 2018.

Lack of B.C. transplant surgeons means donated kidneys are sent elsewhere: doctors

New Chinese Canadian Museum opens its doors in historic Vancouver Chinatown building

The museum opens its permanent location in Chinatown's historic Wing Sang Building after more than six years of planning, starting with then-premier John Horgan mandating the province's Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to establish the institution.

New Chinese Canadian Museum opens its doors in historic Vancouver Chinatown building

Family appeals to public on one-year anniversary of Port Coquitlam shooting

Around 1 A-M on June 30th last year, police responded to reports of gunshots. Officers arrived to find 37-year old Mehdi “Damian” Eslahian suffering from gunshot wounds outside a home in Port Coquitlam, and he died at the scene.

Family appeals to public on one-year anniversary of Port Coquitlam shooting

B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report

British Columbia's independent forests watchdog is calling for the provincial government to make critical changes to how it manages forests to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires. It comes as the largest wildfire in the province's history, the Donnie Creek wildfire, continues to burn out of control in the remote northeast.

B.C. must urgently change forest strategies or face more wildfire disasters: report

BOC outlook survey

The Bank of Canada's latest business outlook survey suggests businesses still anticipate larger-than-normal wage and price increases over the next year. The central bank reports expectations are shifting closer to what they were before the pandemic.