Central Park: Line of the times
Sandra Thomas, Vancouver Courier
April 14, 2010

Last Wednesday when I went to the Riley Park Community Centre for my fitness class, I was surprised to see more than a dozen people sitting in lawn chairs outside the front door. Many were wrapped in sleeping bags and blankets.

I thought the group huddled against the pouring rain under a small tarp and against the building was protesting something, but when I spoke with the men and women they explained they were waiting to register their children and grandchildren for preschool in September.

This was at about 4 p.m. and registration was at 8:30 the next morning. ….These parents and grandparents told me they were prepared to spend the night, despite the weather, to ensure their children a place in preschool at their local community centre….

I asked if there was a better way to run the registration, perhaps by using a little tool called the Internet, but Mclellan insists a first-come, first-served system is the only way to level the playing field. He says there are many low-income families living in the community who don't have access to a computer, so it wouldn't be fair. He has a point….