
SOUND OFF: NDP child labour change uncalled for
I HAVE FOND MEMORIES of my first few jobs as a youngster in the Shuswap. I was about 12 or 13 years old when I started trimming produce full-time at Eagle Valley Foods in Sicamous for the summer. That experience led to a part-time job pumping gas and changing tires and oil at the Gulf Gas Station once I was back at school. By age 16, I was fighting fires over the summer and by 17, I was working at a shake and shingle mill — a pretty big responsibility for a teenager, but one that I was ready for.
These jobs helped me buy the ‘extras’ like a new bike and Walkman and later, my first street bike and car, as well as pay my college tuition. Employment also helped me develop life skills outside of a classroom. I gained maturity and confidence, learned how to effectively interact with the public, and better understood the values of responsibility, work ethic and teamwork.
Unfortunately, John Horgan and the NDP have recently introduced legislation that will restrict these opportunities for young people. If passed, the new rules would raise the age a child may work from 12 to 16. Exemptions could be provided, allowing 14- to 15-year-olds to perform light work. But what does ‘light work’ mean to the NDP? Just babysitting, paper routes and stocking shelves? Would lawn mowing be acceptable, or will a moving blade be deemed ‘too dangerous?’