Category: Editorials

The ostrich called the school boards of Ottawa-Carleton finally took its head out of the sands of denial this week. It’s about time.

The chairs of the four school boards met with local politicians earlier this month in order to draft a school-funding program that would better serve the region than the plan proposed by the provincial Tories. Rather than the 100-per-cent usage of school space proposed by the education ministry, the working group wants schools to operate at about 80- or 90-per-cent capacity. read more

Why do local governments always insist on looking just at the bottom line? Negotiations to sell the main branch of the public library and lease it back from Cadillac Fairview Development Corp. reflects the current trend of the abdication of responsibility over public services by government. read more

In recent days, municipal politicians in Ontario have jumped on a bandwagon to denounce homelessness as a national disaster. First Toronto, now Ottawa city and regional councils.

Fair enough. After all, who can quarrel with the sentiment? But where is, as the saying used to go, the beef? Whatever happened to the concept of actions speaking louder the words? In other words, where’s the money to go along with the fine words? read more

Since Bill 160 reared its ugly head last year, teachers and the province have been sparring over two contentious issues resulting from the legislation: instruction time and, believe it or not, what actually constitutes instruction.

But the dirty details of Bill 160 alone aren’t to blame for the current upheaval in Ontario’s classrooms — and both sides know it. read more