Tag Archives: Federal election

Back to School is Upon Us – As is the Federal Election

September 2, 2021

Back to School

As Ontario’s students get ready to return to classes for the the first time since April, there is much uncertainty and trepidation. In the August 28, 2021 Globe & Mail opinion piece entitled, “How to fix Canada’s education catastrophe in five steps“, Irvin Studin described the chaos  – “for the majority of Canada’s nearly five million children still in the country’s school systems, learning loss and destabilization during the pandemic have been severe. This is particularly true in Ontario, which includes 40 per cent of the national student body and which has seen some of the longest school closings in North America.” And with this in mind, Studin posits that, “schools must be kept open at all costs” and that, “we must double down on quality because “average” or “normal” – or, yes, “safe” – is plainly not good enough.”

It is now September and many parents, teachers, and education workers are echoing the Toronto Star Editorial Board’s sentiments in their August 24, 2021 editorial entitled, “Ford is sleepwalking Ontario into a rising COVID wave again” and wondering, “where is Premier Doug Ford?” and “why is it that Doug Ford, who has access to the most information about the trouble coming our way and holds the most tools to do something about it, is always the last one to see the light?” The Toronto Star Editorial Board argues that Ontario must follow B.C and Quebec’s lead in implementing a vaccine certificate system (which Premier Ford reluctantly announced this week), noting that the Ford government has consistently failed to be proactive, instead choosing to wait until things got really bad before scrambling to enact policies and measures that then proved too little and too late. They also go so far as to state that Premier Ford’s lack of proactive policy amidst this fourth wave of the COVID pandemic is “a total abdication of political leadership”.

In this absence of political leadership, the Toronto Star released an article on August 30, 2021 entitled, “With September approaching, how safe is your child’s elementary school?” The article notes that “experts say community vaccination rates are one of the most important indicators of COVID transmission risk among unvaccinated kids.” and goes on to release vaccination rates by postal code for Toronto to help families better understand the risks involved as their unvaccinated elementary school children head back to school. Partnering with Tai Huynh, founding editor-in-chief of The Local, the same Star article provides a chart in which the risk of infection for younger students can be compared among Toronto’s 666 elementary and middle schools in the TDSB, TCDSB and the French public and Catholic boards. This chart considers the community case count over the course of the pandemic as well as vaccination rates in order to arrive at a risk rating for each school.

Annie Kidder, executive director of People for Education, a non-profit that supports public education, is cited in the same Toronto Star article as stating that, “the best way to protect kids this fall is to require COVID shots for both staff and students 12 and up.” Kidder also noted that children already need to get vaccines for diseases such as measles and polio to attend school.

School Ventilation

Another element of ensuring COVID-spread and outbreaks are limited in schools is good ventilation in schools and classrooms. As of September, our provincial government has mandated that all kindergarten classes and all learning spaces without mechanical ventilation are required to have at least one air purifying (HEPA) filter. Also as per provincial mandate, schools with mechanical ventilation are expected to increase outdoor air exchanges and improve the grade of filter used. Of note is that some school boards, such as the Toronto District School Board, are going above and beyond this provincial directive to ensure all classrooms have portable air purifiers with HEPA filters. Of equal note is that non-mechanically ventilated classrooms may need more than one HEPA filter to achieve the ventilation required to reduce the spread of COVID.

However, our provincial government has fallen short relative to school ventilation. The provincial government has not provided adequate funding to ensure all classrooms ultimately benefit from mechanical ventilation, which would provide benefits well beyond the COVID-pandemic. We know that only 70% of classrooms in Ontario have mechanical ventilation. As well, our provincial government has failed to provide the funding or direction to school boards to institute standards and metrics for indoor air quality and ventilation. At the end of the day, what really matters is the outcome of the ventilation investments so without regular measurements and a standard to meet, we will never know if our children’s classrooms have good ventilation.

In New York City, “school ventilation action teams” have been created to assess the air quality in all schools ahead of September. “Until you actually measure the air in there and what (air) exchange is happening, it’s just a bit of ventilation theatre,” said Seth Bernstein, a secondary school teacher and parent to an elementary school-aged kid.

Federal Election

Since Fix Our Schools’ inception in 2014, we have always taken the opportunity with each federal election to highlight:

  1. The federal government is responsible for First Nations education and schools and there is notable disrepair, lack of clean water and sanitation in many schools on First Nations reserves. There is also an absence of schools within a reasonable distance for many First Nations students. Since the last federal election in 2019, there has been no notable improvements in school conditions, lack of clean water and sanitation in schools on First Nations reserves, nor any move forward in accessibility of quality education to all Indigenous children. Therefore, we once again urge all federal parties and candidates to prioritize the schools and education of all Indigenous children.
  2. How federal funding could benefit school building infrastructure across the country even though historically, our federal government has stayed entirely out of schools and education, which are technically a provincial jurisdiction. However, our argument has always been that if we delineate the school buildings from education, surely federal funding could go towards the renewal, repair and building of critical school infrastructure. Interestingly, the COVID-19 pandemic led the federal government to allocate hundreds of millions of dollars to provinces to use to make improvements to school buildings that would help reduce the spread of COVID-19. We’ve seen the lion’s share of this federal funding go towards important improvements to ventilation, which will serve to benefit children, teachers, and education workers not only during the pandemic but also for the long-term. With this as a precedent, Fix Our Schools once again urges all federal parties and candidates to prioritize the allocation of annual funding to Canada’s school building infrastructure in order to address the unacceptable levels of school disrepair across the country.

In the coming weeks, as you have opportunities to ask questions of federal parties and candidates, here are some questions and conversation starters you may consider.

 

 

Liberal Minority will lead Canada

October 22, 2019

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have a minority government. Pundits have varying opinions on how effective a minority government can be, as outlined in the Toronto Star piece entitled, “Minority Report: the good, bad, and ugly of hung parliaments”, published on October 18, 2019. Our fingers are crossed that, given the urgency of issues facing Canada and the planet, that this parliament will put aside its differences and any ego

At Fix Our Schools, we continue to prioritize school conditions as a key issue, given the important role that school infrastructure, including school infrastructure on First Nations reserves, plays in the lives and education of our young people. We also believe that improving Canada’s school infrastructure is a part of the solution towards addressing our climate change crisis with countless aging school buildings across the country representing huge opportunities for green renewal.

From coast to coast, school infrastructure in Canada desperately needs investment and renewal:

  1. From Manitoba, First Nation students sickened, forced from school due to ‘mould crisis’

2) From British Columbia, Shuswap school to reopen after mysterious smell causes seven-week shutdown

3) From Prince Edward Island, Status quo is not acceptable at Eliot River Elementary, says parent group pushing for improvements at school

What Are Your Priority Issues for the Federal Election?

October 1, 2019

An issues-based election is always more productive than one filled with personal attacks on party leaders – don’t you agree?

So, if we want to see our priority issues discussed during the next few weeks leading up to the federal election on October 21st, we need to demand that these issues be discussed.

At Fix Our Schools, we continue to prioritize school conditions as an issue in this federal election and the important role that school infrastructure plays in the lives and education of our young people. With this in mind, we will be asking the following questions:

What are your priority issues for this federal election?

  • Childcare?
  • Climate change/Environment?
  • Economy?
  • Gun control?
  • Healthcare?
  • Housing?
  • Immigration?
  • Indigenous reconciliation?
  • Jobs?
  • What else do you prioritize as a key issue for this federal election?

If you’re interested in following the platforms of each of the six main parties, you may find this CBC site helpful. And finally, here are some easy opportunities for you to ensure your priority issues get discussed:

  • Ask your local candidates when they knock on your door campaigning
  • Send your local candidates an email or give their office a call, asking them their position/proposed solution for your priority issues
  • Attend a local candidates debate and ask about your priority issues in that forum
  • Contact media by sending a letter to the editor – either your local newspaper or a national news outlet
  • Talk with your network about your priority issues and find out theirs!

OPSBA Federal Election Resource Guide

September 26, 2019

The Ontario School Board Association (OPSBA) has distributed a thoughtful resource guide for school boards and trustees to use during the federal election to ensure that candidates hear about the importance of public education.

Fix Our Schools was thrilled to see the following specific topics addressed and we encourage all citizens to ask their local federal candidates some of the following questions to ensure they understand that publicly funded education is a key Canadian value!

Indigenous Education 

OPSBA notes that “schools in Indigenous communities are seriously underfunded and are starved for the kinds of resources that are common in the provincial publicly funded school system. An effective school is housed in a building that is safe, sound and welcoming.”

Questions for Candidates related to Indigenous Education:

  • How would you and your party work collaboratively with Indigenous peoples in Canada toward the full and effective implementation of the Calls to Action of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?
  • How will you and your political party work to secure federal funding commitments that will ensure equitable funding and equity of opportunity for education in Indigenous communities?
  • How will you and your political party work with Indigenous leaders, as well as provincial Ministries of Education, to ensure that Indigenous children have every opportunity to attain an education comparable to children in the rest of Canada?

Technology & E-Learning

OPSBA notes that “the use of technology for learning and teaching can be highly valuable for all students, especially in remote locations, provided they have access to modern, high-speed internet infrastructure. “

Questions for Candidates related to Technology & E-Learning:

  • Will your government continue to increase broadband development and implementation to ensure there is equity of access for all school boards across the country?
  • How will you invest in technology that enriches the classroom experience for students and teachers?
  • Will you support federal funding that allows school boards to ensure that technology in schools is current and relevant for various student pathways?

Capital-Related Issues

OPSBA notes that “many schools have needs that are serious and urgent, impacting the ability to meet current program requirements, including funding to adapt or change classrooms that are no longer relevant or being used. In addition, many school boards are dealing with unique circumstances and, as a result, they are being challenged with capital and renewal costs for their aging schools.”

OPSBA also notes that “serious concerns have recently been expressed regarding capital projects being put on hold or facing delayed final approvals.” and emphasizes that, “where the evidence is clear, schools need to be built to accommodate future population and program growth as well as the elements of a school building beyond classrooms that foster student achievement and well-being.”

Finally, OPSBA highlights that “the federal government recently announced details for the Climate Action Incentive Fund (CAIF) and available funding for schools.”

Questions for Candidates for Capital-Related Issues :

  • How can the federal government include dedicated funding that can be directed to school boards for their capital needs?
  • How can the government promote similar funding sources/opportunities for school boards

Why is the Federal Election Important to Fix Our Schools?

September 5, 2019

Four years ago, during the last federal election. the Fix Our Schools campaign was only a year old. At that time, we noticed that federal infrastructure money frequently went to fund community buildings like hockey arenas and curling rinks yet using federal infrastructure money to invest in public schools as critical community infrastructure seemed verboten. In fact, we were so perplexed by this phenomenon that we wrote to all federal candidates in Ontario asking them to consider investing federal money in schools as critical infrastructure. 

Here we are four years later and not much has changed. Public education remains the realm of provincial governments and politicians seem reticent to delineate between the education delivered in school buildings from the actual infrastructure we happen to call school buildings. So once again, as a federal election approaches in Canada, we are confirming that school disrepair remains an issue from coast to coast in Canada. And, we are once again urging all federal parties to invest federal money in improving public school infrastructure from coast to coast.

If you agree that all levels of government ought to contribute to ensuring that all Canadian children attend schools that are safe, healthy and well-maintained, then consider asking these questions to your local federal candidates.

If You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get

August 27, 2019

With a federal election imminent, we must ensure that our elected politicians at every level of government prioritize spending to align with our values. In a nutshell, we must ask for what we want.

As a Canadian, you very likely value high quality public education – and its associated societal and economic benefits. Certainly, if politicians asked, you would tell them that you want to see public school buildings in a state of good repair for the 5-million Canadian children who spend their days in these buildings.

Unfortunately, the sad reality is that publicly funded school buildings across this country are crumbling. While there are examples of state-of-the-art public schools, an unacceptable number of public schools across Canada need massive repairs. In Ontario schools alone, there are $15.9-billion of disrepair as of Fall 2017 (the last time disrepair data was updated and released publicly by our provincial government). In Vancouver, public schools struggle with $740-million of disrepair plus need seismic upgrades to make them safe in case of earthquakes;

So, as this federal election builds momentum and you have an opportunity to speak with candidates, let them know you consider publicly funded school buildings to be a critical element of our societal infrastructure – certainly on par with arenas, community centres and parks but also on par with transit, roads and healthcare. Let federal candidates know that you want infrastructure money to be spent on repairing and rebuilding Canada’s public school buildings. We know that in Canada, public education is a provincial responsibility. However, the school buildings in which education takes place represent critical public infrastructure that we believe should be able to benefit from funding from all levels of government. Now is the right time to ask.

If you don’t ask – you don’t get!

Federal Campaigns are Underway: Questions You Can Ask Your Local Candidates

August 13, 2019

I’ve already had two local candidates running in the upcoming federal election knock at my door and we’re sure you’ve already experienced this phenomenon too! Federal campaigning is well underway and you will likely have many opportunities to speak with candidates and MP’s in the coming months. We encourage you to take the opportunity to let them know you consider publicly funded schools an integral part of our public infrastructure.  

Potential conversation starters:

  • Federal money is being designated for transit and even community hubs such as curling rinks and hockey arenas…it would be great to see publicly funded school buildings receiving similar infrastructure funding from the federal government. While we recognize that public education is a provincial responsibility, the school buildings in which education takes place represent critical public infrastructure that we believe should be able to benefit from funding from all levels of government.
  • Vancouver public schools struggle with $740-million of disrepair plus need seismic upgrades to make them safe in case of earthquakes; Ontario’s publicly funded schools have a total of $15.9-billion of disrepair … so from east to west in this country, there is disrepair in our country’s publicly funded schools that must be addressed.
  • The federal government is responsible for First Nations education and schools and there is notable disrepair, lack of clean water and sanitation in many schools on First Nations reserves. There is also an absence of schools within a reasonable distance for many First Nations students.

Potential questions:

  • Do you view publicly funded schools as an important part of this country’s public infrastructure?
  • Do you believe all Canadian children, including those living on First Nations reserves, ought to be educated in safe, healthy, well-maintained publicly funded school buildings?
  • Would you consider accessing federal infrastructure dollars to address disrepair in Canada’s publicly funded school buildings?

We hope this makes it easy for you to engage with politicians and candidates during this federal election campaign. Please email us additional questions or conversation starters to share!

Federal Government is Responsible for First Nations School Infrastructure

August 6, 2019

Cindy Blackstock, the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring  Society of Canada, wrote an Opinion piece for the Globe & Mail on July 16, 2019, entitled, “When will Ottawa end its willful neglect of First Nations children“.

She cites a report that was released earlier in the summer that confirms overall, 47% of First Nations children live in poverty – more than two-and-a-half times the national rate.

Blackstock calls on the Federal government to address this situation by co-developing a comprehensive plan with First Nations to address all the inequalities in public services on reserves, including education and basics such as water and sanitation.

Blackstock shares the story of the late Shannen Koostachin of Attawapiskat First Nation. “When Shannen was in grade 1, the only school in her community closed because of contamination from a gasoline spill. The Government of Canada, which is responsible for funding education on reserves, brought up portable trailers as a “temporary” facility while a new school was built. When Shannen was in Grade 8, those trailers were falling apart and there was no sign of a new school. She and the other youth in Attawapiskat called upon thousands of non-Indigenous children across Canada to join them in a campaign for a new school.

Shannen had to move off reserve to get a high-school education and in 2010, while she attended a high school she would have never gone to had the one in her own Northern Ontario community been properly funded, she died in an automobile accident. The thousands of children she inspired launched Shannen’s Dream to honour this hero and continue her work. In 2014, four years after Shannen’s death, a new school finally opened in Attawapiskat. Still, many other First Nations are without proper schools, so the campaign continues.”

Conversation starters and questions for the federal election

June 28, 2015

Throughout the federal election campaign, you will likely have many opportunities to speak with candidates and MP’s. We encourage you to take the opportunity to let them know you consider public schools an integral part of our public infrastructure.  

Potential conversation starters:

Potential questions:

  • Do you view public schools as an important part of this country’s public infrastructure?
  • Would you consider accessing federal infrastructure dollars to address disrepair in Canada’s public schools?
  • Given the almost $15-billion in outstanding repairs plaguing Ontario public schools, what advice would you give to the provincial government regarding funding for public schools in this province?

We hope this makes it easy for you to engage with politicians during this federal election campaign. Please email us additional questions or conversation starters to share!