The tentative government deal offered to Ontario education support workers threatening a strike would provide the lowest-paid members a 4.2 percent yearly salary increase, Education Minister Stephen Lecce said Monday at a press conference. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) represents librarians, early childhood educators, janitors, and other school support staff. Instead of the…

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has weighed in on the issue of the Ontario government’s plan to use back-to-work legislation and the notwithstanding clause to stop a pending school strike. “Using the notwithstanding clause to suspend worker’s rights is wrong,” Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Nov. 1. “Suspensions of people’s rights is something you should only…

Commentary Who were the big winners in the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) election? It depends on who you ask. Progressives certainly had a lot to cheer about. Not only was board chair Scott Piatkowski solidly re-elected, so were fellow progressive trustees Joanne Weston and Jane Herring. In addition, several newly elected trustees also…

Commentary Smartphones, iPads, texting, streaming, high-definition TV, e-books. All of these were virtually unheard of not so long ago, but now they are commonplace. It shows just how quickly technology changes and the extent to which it dominates our children’s lives. Technology has had a huge impact on public education. Many school districts spend huge…

News Analysis The advancement of Ontario’s Racial Equity in the Education System Act to third reading has alarmed critics, who say the legislation would entrench critical race theory (CRT) in schools and could lead to its adoption across Canada. Bill 67 defines “anti-racism” as “the policy of opposing racism including anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian…

Commentary If you don’t learn how to read in school, you won’t learn much of anything else. This statement sounds harsh, but it is the truth. Reading is a foundational skill in a modern country, and it is necessary for every professional occupation, whether blue collar or white collar. Anyone who lacks the ability to…

Commentary Back in 2018, things looked hopeful on the education file in Ontario. Newly elected Premier Doug Ford had campaigned on a platform that included scrapping discovery math, strengthening curriculum standards, and focusing on the academic basics. Given his bulldog reputation, there were excellent reasons to believe that Ford would stand up to the typical…