HEDLEY—Yale-Lillooet MLA Harry Lali says the possible closure of the only school in the village of Hedley shows that the Campbell Liberal Government has abandoned rural communities.

Harry Lali"The attempt to close Hedley School proves, yet again, that the B.C. Liberals don’t care about maintaining public services in rural B.C.," said Lali. "While the Premier spends hundreds of millions of dollars in cost overruns on the Vancouver Convention Centre, he refuses to protect small-town community schools."

Lali has been lobbying School District No. 56 to keep Hedley School open. If the school is closed primary school students from Kindergarten to Grade 3 will be bussed over half an hour each way to attend classes in neighbouring Keremeos.

"New Democrats are standing alongside the people of Hedley, standing up for students of rural B.C. and opposing this closure," said Lali. "Rural students have a right to quality education in their community, and parents should not have to bus their small children over half an hour away from home to get a basic education."

"Since coming to power in 2001 Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals have closed over 130 schools, mostly in rural B.C.," said Lali. "The push to close Hedley School is another example of the mean-spirited and uncaring agenda being imposed on a small, rural community by an uncaring Liberal premier and government."

Lali will be speaking at a public meeting in Keremeos later today to show his support for the community school. The district will make its final decision about the closure on Jan. 25.