Why bringing school resource officers back to our classrooms will do more harm than good
Proposing to bring back the School Resource Officer program, Calandra has turned his back on years of research that tells us that Black, Indigenous and racialized students do not feel safe attending schools with a police presence, that police in schools does not reduce the incidence of violence, but they do prop up the school-to-prison pipeline.
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CBC
25 minutes ago
- CBC
Eliminating trustees would leave schools 'at the whims of Toronto'
School trustees and education experts have criticized the Ontario education minister's suggestion that he could eliminate elected trustees, with the advocates arguing they provide critical accountability while the real issue is provincial underfunding of education. Paul Calandra told CBC he is considering doing away with school trustees as part of a review of the provincial governance model. Already he has appointed supervisors to take over five of Ontario's biggest school boards and put all 72 boards on notice to direct funds to classrooms. But school boards play an important role in allocating funding in accordance with the needs of local communities and speaking out when budgets are inadequate, according to Alan Campbell, president of the Canadian School Boards Association. "Local school boards are often the first voices to say, 'This provincial support is no longer adequate and here are some of the manifestations of those inadequacies,'" he told CBC. Eliminating elected trustees would reduce that local level of accountability, he said. "The people of Ontario need to understand that a removal of school boards is a removal of their voice when it comes to what the local public school looks like and how the local public school operates," he said. Campbell urged those people concerned by the minister's suggestion to respond "quickly and loudly." Lyra Evans, an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) trustee, said eliminating school boards would reduce faith in public education. "The main difference you're going to feel is when there are problems," she said. "It'll hurt people's ability to get answers about what's going on in schools." In April, Calanda announced that the province would appoint a supervisor to oversee the OCDSB after it projected a fifth straight year of financial deficits. Evans said when trustees were asked to slash spending due to austerity budgets, it led to acrimony, dysfunction and resignations. Centralizing administration would not fix this and would mean less local input into decision-making, she said. "You're just going to be at the whims of Toronto." 'At the mercy' of bureaucracy Other provinces have eliminated elected school boards as part of overhauls to their education systems, including in Manitoba, Quebec and Nova Scotia. After Nova Scotia eliminated school boards in 2018, enhanced parent councils to oversee schools never functioned as planned, according to Sachin Maharaj, an assistant professor of education at the University of Ottawa. Parents were too busy and didn't understand the system, he said. Instead, "schools just became less responsive to parents and community members." Without elected boards, the system becomes more bureaucratic, "and parents and community members and students are just more at the mercy of the different layers of that bureaucracy," he said. The Ontario government has exploited a few examples of financial mismanagement as a pretext for the takeover and then eventual elimination of school boards, Maharaj argued, noting that the majority of the 72 school boards do not face such accusations. "Most of the boards that are dealing with financial difficulties are dealing with them for largely reasons beyond their control," he said. "They don't control their own revenues." Ontario's education minister tells CBC News he would consider eliminating school board trustees in the province 21 hours ago 'A critical point in underfunding' Beth Mai, a trustee for the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), said Calandra was blaming boards like hers for problems caused by the province not investing enough in education. The province assumed operations of TVDSB from trustees in April, alleging financial mismanagement at London's public school board. "They are capitalizing on current crises to justify the decisions that they are looking to make," she said. "The reality is that education has been underfunded and is now at a critical point in underfunding." Mai called for public pushback against eliminating school boards. "I would be shocked if trustees continue to exist after this municipal term unless there is significant communication from the public that they value local decision making," she said. The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association said locally elected Catholic school trustees have a "long history of effective representation of parents and the Catholic community and dedicated service in support of the wellbeing of students."
Cision Canada
3 hours ago
- Cision Canada
Government of Canada to match Red Cross donations to Newfoundland and Labrador appeal to help those impacted by wildfires Français
OTTAWA, ON, /CNW/ - Today, the Government of Canada announced that it will match every dollar donated to the Canadian Red Cross 2025 Newfoundland & Labrador Wildfires Appeal to support wildfire disaster relief efforts across Newfoundland and Labrador. Through this initiative the federal government will match donations Canadians and corporations make to the appeal. This means every $1 donated will become $2 for those affected by the wildfires. Donation matching will be open for 30 days, retroactive to when the appeal first opened on August 14. The funds raised will be used to assist relief efforts in response to those impacted by the wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador, including those who have evacuated their homes. Thousands of people have been displaced as wildfires continue to threaten communities across the province. The funds raised will be used to provide disaster relief to residents most directly impacted in the affected areas in Newfoundland and Labrador. On August 20, the Request for Federal Assistance for Newfoundland and Labrador was extended until August 29 th. The Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard will continue to provide assistance to the province as it continues to deal with the impacts of current wildfires. The Government of Canada is committed to doing everything it can to support all those affected. Canadians wishing to make a financial donation to help those impacted by wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador can do so online at or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Quotes "I would like to express my heartfelt support for the people and communities affected by wildfires across the country, including the thousands of Canadians who have evacuated their homes. As wildfires continue to impact communities across Newfoundland and Labrador, we will keep working closely with the provincial government, Indigenous leadership, and the Canadian Red Cross to ensure a coordinated and compassionate response. Canadians have always shown remarkable generosity in times of crisis, and by matching individual donations to the Red Cross, we are helping that generosity go further—bringing more support to families." - The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada "As wildfires continue to impact families and communities in this province, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have shown their kindness and care for their neighbours through volunteering and donations. Now, the federal government is stepping up to match donations to the Canadian Red Cross, meaning every contribution goes further as we support communities with relief efforts. We will continue working closely with the Province, Indigenous leadership, and the Red Cross to provide a coordinated and compassionate response to everyone who has been affected. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador are known for our resilience, and the federal government is here to help you get through this." - The Honourable Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries "The wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador continue to threaten communities, and Red Cross teams are providing assistance for thousands of people impacted. We are grateful for the generosity of the Government of Canada to match donations to the 2025 Newfoundland and Labrador Wildfires Appeal. This has been a relentless wildfire season across the country, and the Canadian Red Cross has been there when people are most in need." - Conrad Sauvé, President and CEO, Canadian Red Cross Quick Facts
National Post
6 hours ago
- National Post
Jamie Sarkonak: DEI gardening — the new Liberal priority for agriculture
Article content On its face, that list doesn't make sense: race alone doesn't render a person 'at risk,' nor does speaking French in non-Quebec Canada, nor does living outside a city. Typically, in English, that term is used to describe homeless and low-income people. Article content The agriculture department's explanation isn't reflected in the actual record, either. The applicant guide for the Local Food Infrastructure Fund presents a closed list of 'equity-seeking groups' that a potential grant recipient can claim to help: Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women, youth, 2SLGBTQI+, 'Not applicable' and 'Decline to identify.' The government (which actually prefers the term 'equity-denied group' over 'equity-deserving group) limits the scope of the definition to race, gender, sexuality, religion and disability. Article content What's certain is that the scope of this grant program is unclear, and that public-facing documents are giving potential applicants the impression that food programs serving, say, low-income, country-dwelling white seniors of Saskatchewan aren't deserving of government support. Neither would be a replacement freezer for a food bank serving the poor — regardless of race — in small-town Atlantic Canada. A curious choice for the minister of agriculture, Prince Edward Islander Heath MacDonald. Article content Meanwhile, a free set of raised beds for a community garden in an upper- to middle-class, predominantly non-white neighbourhood of Toronto would appear to meet the program's stated criteria, even though such endeavours are largely recreational. Indeed, the same can be said for low-income communities. Neighbourhood gardens can't achieve the economies of scale found in industrial farming or the year-round stability of the grocery store, which is why a local Loblaws or Metro does a lot more for food security than a few raised beds. Article content This is just one grant, but it's emblematic of the whole federal government's approach to public service. It's not enough to support food programs for the poor; the feds must also support the gardening hobbies across the cultural mosaic. Similarly, it's not enough to hire deserving students as youth employment hits 20-year lows; the feds must select their new hires on the basis of identity. It's not enough that Supreme Court justices are highly competent in the law — instead, they must be half-decent at their craft, bilingual and be the first person with their combination of diversity characteristics to join the court. Article content To the feds, managing a diverse population doesn't just mean ensuring that discrimination doesn't happen — it means actively discriminating to redistribute the goods of society. Even something as essential as food isn't immune. Article content
