Quebec students walk out of class to protest full cellphone ban in schools
Following a recommendation by a special committee, Quebec's education minister announced phones would be banned in schools and that includes when students are on break. Students disagree with the idea that the devices get in the way of learning.
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CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘The dust will fly' – but control measures returning this fall to Chatham-Kent
Chatham-Kent council has voted to reinstate its dust suppression program after backlash from rural residents who were left frustrated by the initial decision to cut it during 2025 budget talks. Council voted 13-3 on Monday night to bring the program back, months after eliminating it in an effort to save about $1.3 million from the municipal budget — a move that represented a 0.8 per cent savings on the tax rate. The change of direction came after vocal opposition from residents who live on gravel roads, including farmers and members of the Kent Federation of Agriculture. 'We're very happy that it's coming back,' said KFA president Jim Brackett, who lives on a dirt road in Morpeth. But Brackett warned that reinstating the program isn't enough — it has to be done properly. 'It has to be applied properly and has to be applied at the right rate, it has to be the right product, and it has to be done twice a year to be the most effective,' he said. The dust, he added, has serious consequences for both people and crops along with motorist's safety. 'It's bad for our health. And if you were doing a construction site in town, you would be obligated to mitigate the dust,' said Brackett. 'I wash my vehicle every couple of days because of this. My house, I can't open the windows. My crops, it'll form a layer over the crops and interfere with translocation, increase the heat.' He explained, 'I already know of one resident that's been forced off the road because he was in a cloud of dust.' Although residents have been calling for immediate relief, municipal staff say the program won't resume until sometime this fall due to tendering and administrative delays. 'If they wanted to, they could be doing it quickly, but it sounds like it's going to be September before we get it back,' said Brackett. 'I may not get dust control this year, but someone may. So as long as some of our members get dust control and some of our people that travel the rural roads, then that's a plus versus nothing.' Ward 6 Councillor Michael Bondy, who originally voted to cut the program, brought the issue back to the council table after hearing from residents across the municipality. 'I heard from a lot of rural voices, and they felt pretty slighted and, frankly, kind of ripped off because something that had been done for 40 plus years was cut from the budget with my help, because I voted to help cut it from the budget, because we were told by staff that it's ineffective, it doesn't work and it's a waste,' said Bondy. Bondy told CTV News there are upwards of 1700 kilometres of gravel roads across the municipality. 'It was just another one of these instances of the rural voices just weren't heard and I'm a city guy, but I represent all of Chatham-Kent as a councillor, right? So I thought, well, I'll bring this back. This should be an easy one. Well, not quite that easy, but it did pass after an hour and a half discussion.' Bondy says red tape is now the main hurdle. 'The dust will fly unless the process can be changed because there has to be a report to council. It has to be tendered. The tender award has to be signed and contracted... blah blah. What am I saying? I'm saying red tape is what it is. It's red tape.' While hopeful that staff can speed up the process, Bondy acknowledged it may take time. 'I'm really hoping that, you know, staff can maybe get this moving a little earlier as it is only the beginning of June,' he said. 'I thought this was going to be rather simple, because it's been done for 40 plus years, by the same people. So I didn't think it would be difficult to reinstate. But I'm not complaining because we did vote to reinstate it, so, you know, we're halfway there, I would say.' Meantime, residents like Brackett are cautiously optimistic, saying any progress is better than none.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Parents ask Regina school board trustees to delay band program cuts
Social Sharing Parents of students in Regina Public Schools's (RPS) elementary band program say they're not asking for recently announced cuts to be reversed, but would like them to be delayed. A delegation of parents spoke with school board trustees at a standing-room-only meeting at the division's board office Tuesday. The parents say they've hired a consultant to gather data about the program, which serves students in Grades 6 though 8. They want the board to put off reassigning teachers until the consultant has presented his findings. RPS says it plans to reassign about a third of its elementary band teachers to new positions this fall. It comes as the division faces a $2.65-million deficit. The division says the move is the result of government funding not keeping up with inflation. RPS director of education Mark Haarmann previously told CBC News the new contract between teachers and the government means more money has to be given to fund classroom complexity clauses. The Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation says new money from the government, plus the addition of 515 new teaching positions, are being provided for that. Board welcomes consultant's report Several trustees told the delegation that their own children are in, or have been in, band. But they say technical papers for the division's upcoming budget were substantially delayed by the new teachers' contract, which put pressure on RPS to come up with a budget in a short amount of time. Trustee Brandon-Shea Mutala said he's heard from many of his constituents about the cuts. "Every email that's came across my desk, I've read," Mutala said. He said the cuts to band make up about $450,000 of the $2.65-million shortfall. "The original number that was proposed to us was steeper for cuts," he said. "When we sat down and we got our first numbers for the budget as a board, we sent them back and said we have to do better. So from the beginning we have been fighting." WATCH | Parents ask Regina school board trustees to delay band program cuts: Parents ask Regina school board trustees to delay band program cuts 18 minutes ago Duration 2:37 Parents of band students in Regina Public Schools say they've hired a consultant to review the program and discuss solutions with the school division. Board chair Adam Hicks reiterated elementary band is just one area facing cuts this coming year. "In eight of the nine years I've been on this board, we've had to look at cuts every single year," said Hicks. "I wish and I hope for one year where we could actually talk about dreaming a little bit." Hicks said he welcomes the consultant's review and hopes to follow up with the parents before the board meets again on June 24 to vote on the next school year's budget. Christina Carlson, president of Sheldon Williams Area Music Parents, said she was grateful to hear the trustees' personal connection to band. "I think we have a little bit of room to grow with our alignment [of] how to get the best outcome over the next couple of weeks," Carlson said. "I'm excited that they're not making any final decisions right this moment and we have a bit of opportunity to work together, potentially with some more collaboration." Solutions are possible, consultant says John Benham is the consultant the parents have hired to review RPS's elementary band program. Benham, who lives in Minneapolis, has spent the past four decades working with school divisions around the world to prevent cuts to music education. He said he'll analyze how many teachers and students are in RPS's program and how economically viable it is. A summary of his findings will be presented at a meeting on Saturday, which will list the items that should be studied to improve the program. Benham said RPS's claims of a budget shortfall and band teachers needed elsewhere to satisfy classroom complexity requirements don't add up. "I have a hard time accepting this as a financial issue," Benham said. "They're stating … nobody's going to lose their job. Well if they're not going to lose their job, how are they going to save any money?" One solution, Benham said, could be to add band to existing elementary arts education classes, which the Ministry of Education provides as a curriculum option. "So the answer's right there," he said. "It's just we need to do something in this [school] district to facilitate that." Benham spoke with a group of RPS elementary band teachers earlier in the week. He said that while the division has been co-operative in providing data to him, some teachers were fearful of the meeting. "They had been told 'Do not share the fact that you're being cut with anybody,'" he said. "The idea of intimidation and concealing of relevant information from the teachers and or the public to me is very questionable."
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Sask. quietly ends its response to U.S. tariffs
Social Sharing In March, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced his government's response to U.S. tariffs. Three months later, those measures are ending. The removal of the countermeasures was not announced to the public. It was only confirmed once media asked the provincial government. Premier Scott Moe announced in March that the province was prioritizing Canadian suppliers for goods and services procured by the Government of Saskatchewan and temporarily halting capital projects with the goal of minimizing or eliminating American materials. In a statement to CBC News on Wednesday, the province confirmed it will return to its standard procurement process. The statement comes a just day after the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) confirmed it would resume the purchase and distribution of American-made alcohol. In March, Moe directed the SLGA to stop purchasing US-produced alcohol. It later modified that policy for 54 brands that, while American-owned, are produced in Canada. "This change was made to allow Saskatchewan people the option to choose whether they want to buy these products or consider alternatives," the statement said. The federal government's 25-per-cent tariff on U.S. alcohol remains in effect. The provincial government said it will continue to encourage support for Saskatchewan and Canadian products "whenever there is an option to do so." It's not clear if Saskatchewan's response to U.S. tariffs had any real effect on provincial procurement. Data provided by the government showed a that over the past five years, the province had awarded nearly 90 per cent of all procurements to Saskatchewan companies and more than 99 per cent of procurements went to Canadian companies. That did not stop the provincial Opposition from spending a large portion of the spring sitting criticizing contracts the government had with American companies or American suppliers. None of the contracts flagged by the Saskatchewan NDP were cancelled.
