The sudden closure of a Vancouver language school has left 600 students out of class, and almost 100 school staff out of a job. Teachers at Vancouver English Centre (VEC), an English as a second language (ESL) school in downtown Vancouver, have been on strike for the last four weeks, seeking their first collective contract. Hector Diaz, a VEC student visiting from Mexico, says the school has yet to refund his money despite repeated requests throughout the strike. "I came here to study but now I don't have any money to take another course, because they have my money," Diaz said. Like many VEC students, he's in a foreign country on a short-term visa.

Source: CBC News August 29, 2016 20:26 UTC