I came of age as an activist and researcher when Mike Harris blustered his way into power in the 90s. His education minister, John Snobelen, famously a high school dropout, was much more comfortable referring to students as “clients,” parents as “customers” and teachers as “front line service providers,” and…
Read more
Following Monday night’s election, it might feel like the country is more divided than ever. But a closer look at how Canada voted reveals support for a promising suite of progressive initiatives. In fact, the public’s clear desire for progressive policy solutions might just be the one clear winner in…
Read more
With less than two weeks until Canadians head to the polls, we’re turning our attention to one of the key topics that impacts affordability for young voters: post-secondary education. While there are a number of different aspects to the debate, this post focuses on the different approaches to affordability taken…
Read more
As public opinion polls confirm, the wheels seem to have come off the Ford Fiesta. After months of fallout from cuts to education, hundreds of educators across Ontario receiving redundancy notices, and a round of collective bargaining-related gauntlet-throwing, provincial MPPs retreated to their ridings for an extended summer break that…
Read more
It’s been a chaotic year for public education in Ontario. And for all of us who benefit from a high quality and publicly-accountable system, the stakes are high—particularly for our youngest and most vulnerable. Given what we know about the tremendous societal and economic benefits of investment in public education,…
Read more
When tracking who influences the political agenda, savvy journalists and community groups know to follow the money. Take Ontario Proud, for instance. The lobby group (“a who’s who of developers, anti-union groups and construction agencies”) knew its members stood to benefit from a PC government at Queen’s Park, and they…
Read more
Divisive rhetoric dressed up with a teeth-bearing grin. Photo-op attempts to praise workers (“folks”) while dismissing and delegitimizing the elected bodies that speak on their behalf. A whipped-up climate of general distrust in schools and educators, complete with a “snitch line”, while pledging respect for taxpayers and parents. I may…
Read more
Wait—a 10% tuition fee reduction, followed by a freeze. In [checks notes] Doug Ford’s Ontario? If you didn’t hear the record scratch after Tuesday’s sneak peek announcement, you weren’t paying close enough attention. Since assuming office, Doug Ford’s conservative government has made public funding for universities contingent on institutions adopting…
Read more
From the beginning, Our Schools / Our Selves has taken seriously the feminist imperative that we must link the personal and the political. Students need to be given an opportunity, in the context of school curriculum, to make sense of their own lives through various forms of creative expression. What…
Read more
How should we approach a rethink of our current public education system in Ontario? After all, there’s no question it’s high time for a review. One of Mordechai Rozanski’s recommendations from his report—released over 15 years ago—was to hold reviews every five years. This was about ensuring funding was sufficient…
Read more