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More school, better teachers
Thursday, September 1st, 2011
Aug 31 2011
Now, teachers must figure out the best way to reach – and teach – each of their students whether they get straight As or are struggling to learn basic English.
That’s why the Ontario Liberals’ election promise to extend teacher college from one year to two years “with an emphasis on in-classroom learning” makes good sense. An increasing number of students have a learning disability, a behavioral problem or come to school hungry. Problems in a student’s home or community often spill into the classroom affecting their ability to do well. Teachers are expected to juggle all this.
Tags: standard of living, youth
Posted in Education Debates | No Comments »
Harper’s big tent?
Monday, August 29th, 2011
Aug 28 2011
The Conservative agenda ranges from cutting a deal on Canada-U.S. border security to filling Supreme Court vacancies to curbing federal spending, signing trade deals, cracking down on a declining crime rate, worrying needlessly about immigration, gutting the long gun registry and freezing foreign aid. Can tinkering with employment insurance, equalization or health funding be far behind?
Tags: budget, ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Jack Layton ennobled politics
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011
Aug. 23, 2011
“Please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope.” Even when his own hope was gone, he pleaded for the necessity of hope in others. “My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair.” Few politicians anywhere have left public life on such a note of grace…. There is a message for the NDP in his success: there are votes to be had for a moderate social-democratic party.
Tags: featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Welcome upgrades to Canada’s democracy
Sunday, August 21st, 2011
Aug. 19, 2011
The Internet and social media tools that enable the instant electronic transmission of local results resulted in many absurdities in the recent election… When a law can be so easily flouted that it has literally become a joke, it’s time for that law to go… The willingness of Elections Canada to consider how to bring voting online is also welcome… a secure-voting system would do much to address the accessibility concerns of Canadians with disabilities and deployed members of the armed forces, and is a logical progression for a society where citizens are already comfortable using the Internet…
Tags: participation
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
David Johnston’s welcome words to lawyers
Thursday, August 18th, 2011
Aug. 17, 2011
Some of his most challenging remarks were about what lawyers need to do to maintain the public’s trust. In the collapse of Wall Street, “how many lawyers ‘papered’ the deals that involved fraudulent statements of assets, liabilities, income and valuations? … A former law dean, Mr. Johnston challenged the law schools not to obsess over the intellectual qualifications of entering students, but to look more broadly at their “ethical sensibility and depth,” personal relationships, wisdom, judgment and leadership. He would also ensure “a broad and extensive focus on ethics in law school.”
Tags: ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | 1 Comment »
Wake-up call from top judge
Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Aug 15 2011
Four years ago, Beverley McLachlin, Canada’s chief justice, delivered a blunt warning. “The most advanced justice system in the world is a failure if it does not provide justice to the people it is meant to serve,” she told the Empire Club of Canada. “Unfortunately, many Canadian men and women find themselves unable, mainly for financial reasons, to access the Canadian justice system.”… Governments also must do better. The right to a fair trial is guaranteed in the Constitution. Yet legal aid is offered only to the poorest of the poor. Many services are not covered. Most provinces are cutting funding.
Tags: ideology, privatization, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
A better way to pay
Wednesday, August 10th, 2011
Aug 09 2011
It is rare that administrative savings and the best interests of welfare recipients go hand in hand. Getting rid of paper cheques, which are increasingly expensive to administer, will save the city at least $1 million a year… For the some 35,000 welfare recipients who can’t get bank accounts, it will mean a welcome end to paying high cheque-cashing fees… Ultimately, the biggest problem with welfare is not the cheque itself but the sum, which is too low to live on with any dignity, and the punitive, rules-bound system that impedes a recipient’s transition to the workforce and self-sufficiency.
Tags: ideology, poverty, tax
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
All cuts aren’t created equal
Saturday, July 30th, 2011
Jul 29 2011
Controlling spending is important when there isn’t enough revenue coming in, but cuts come at a price. When that price is too high, we must be prepared to engage in a conversation about raising revenue and not just about controlling costs… The city, in a manufactured panic, is attempting to balance the books in two months, rather than the usual six, and isn’t leaving time for careful consideration of the impact. Rushing important decisions without sufficient information puts our health at risk, both today and tomorrow… Let’s look at the implications of a few of the proposed cuts:
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Breaking up is tough enough
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
Jul 26 2011
A couple pursuing a divorce before a judge may want a speedy and fair end to their marriage but what they are far more likely to get is years of emotional turmoil and financial ruin with their lawyers pocketing a good portion of the family assets. When children are caught in the middle it’s even worse. That’s why Ontario’s new requirement that couples seeking a divorce attend an information session on the alternatives to litigation such as mediation is a good move.
Tags: budget, ideology, mental Health, rights, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
More prisons are OK, but why is the confusing part
Monday, July 25th, 2011
July 23, 2011
…if the Conservatives want to spend $4 billion to $10 billion building new prisons and making our laws tougher — at a time when health care, education, infrastructure and other services are screaming for more funding — this government needs to make a more convincing argument. Actually, it doesn’t need to — due to its majority in Parliament. Harper and company should, however. The get-tough-on-crime laws and policy will be the first major legislation in this government’s term of office. Canadians deserve better reasons why it’s needed.
Tags: budget, corrections, crime prevention, ideology
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »
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