JUSTCAWS

One of the great things about being a parent is that it gives you the chance to reflect on past decisions that you have made and actions that you take. I recall my four year old son asking “Dad, why do you wear a poppy?” In answering my son, I gave the standard reply -- that I like many other people wear the poppy to remember the sacrifice of those who served the cause peace and freedom. His question however, caused me to ponder further why I dutifully wear the poppy each November. For my family the poppy and Remembrance Day give pause to remember my uncle Alex Gray who died as a stretcher bearer during the Korean War. I never met him, but my mom made sure the memory of her brother was not forgotten. His name as well as his life story have been passed on to many of her grandchildren. Of course, with the thoughts of him comes my supreme gratitude for the sacrifice of thousands of others who have made this country a place to raise a family in peace and with freedom. ...

  Just woke up from the screeching tires of another late night street race. Now that I’m up, I might as well write about something where everyone seems to have an opinion. When it comes to the issue of speed cameras there should be enough space for middle of the road consensus. Ontario Doug Ford says he will ban them while other politicians have put their finger in the air and banned them already - see former Provincial Liberal leader Steven Del Duca (now Mayor of Vaughan) have  already done so. They see a political winner in going against the cash grab and the surveillance state vibe cameras create. Those in favour of the cameras rightfully point out one clear fact - they work. Perhaps too well for their survival. Cities that once deployed a few in trouble spots expanded them in community zones where there was a need or a vocal neighborhood who wanted them. Here in Guelph 4 cameras became 12, but at least here we have kept them where they belong - in school zones. Other place...

  Wanted to follow up on a column I wrote nearly five years ago during the wake of the George Floyd murder.  It is interesting to look back at the counterproductive movement that followed and the inevitable retreat that is happening now. I appreciated the frustration at the time that society was not doing enough when people saw a live murder take place at the hands of police on their screens. What followed however, was a lack of appreciation for past progress made and the idea that everything done before was lost. Being colour blind was apparently wrong and we needed to wake up to now see everything through the lens of race. Equality of opportunity, an inspirational goal with broad support, was replaced with equality of outcomes, a concept that few believe in. So it is not surprising that the over compensation has now been rejected. You probably heard about a former President who just won an election riding the wave of anti woke sentiment. Corporations whose only allegiance is...

Due to my current occupational hazard, the one topic that I am asked most often is for my view on cryptocurrencies. I haven’t written on this before because it's not a topic easily understood or explained. By this point however, I believe most people have an underlying understanding, or at least have soundbite they can repeat so they sound like they know what they're talking about. Perhaps before getting into what crypto is, it is best to explain what it isn’t. One thing to remember is that crypto currency is virtual, there are no actual physical coins or bills being circulated. When you see an image of Bitcoin (the most popular of the crypto currencies) used in a news story, it is used for visual purposes only - to quote Getrude Stein “there is no there there”. Its value is entirely determined by what investors are willing to pay for it, and the only way to make money is to sell it to someone else at a higher price. If that sounds like any other investment, there are some key ...

  With so many skills that can be done by AI much faster and and sometimes better than humans, it does beg the question what’s left for us? Under this uncertain future, it is no wonder the Ontario Ministry of Education is pushing a greater emphasis in technical, trades based education. As for students who aren’t hands on learners the opportunities in the future seem much less certain. It may even require governments to set parameters on what work humans will never relinquish. We have all read and seen what AI can do. It writes books, reports, essays, and generates art within seconds after be given a few basic commands. In this reality is it worth spending time building skills that will never match the power of artificial intelligence? Of course it is from an intellectual and humanity perspective - but what about practically? Education to a large degree is about teaching the skills necessary for the jobs of tomorrow. Many jobs today simply will not exist in the future for humans i...

The dawn of a new school year comes with a new cell phone ban that has already generated plenty of discussion. Be interesting how this will play out, but parents will play a key role in determining how well enforced the ban will be. Right now, much of the concern has been about getting student and parent buy-in. My experience is that most kids and parents get it by now, that cell phones and classroom learning don’t go well together. Share There will still be some holdout parents who want all day access to their kids, but I believe school administrators will hear more from engaged parents if the phones are not banned in class. Will also be interested in seeing if teachers themselves can practice what they preach. Listen to latest Public #onted for more on implementing the ban.

One way to tone down the rhetoric is for the political talking heads to get back to changing minds rather than seeking attention. After the assassination attempt on former President Trump, there has been a rightful call to turn down the political heat and division in the United States. Elected officials and opinion makers across the political spectrum have condemned political violence and called for unity.  This of course is the right response, but many don’t think it will last. The problem is that in our desire to be heard online we lost our ability to have a civil discussion.  You would think if the point of giving your political opinion was to persuade others to your way of thinking - we would be much better at it.  We’ve lost the art of persuasion and have mastered the put down.  How did we get so far down the rabbit hole?  Many will point to social media and while it is the main culprit, I can’t give them all the blame. We have to be better as citizens and ...

  I must say it was nice to see the Ontario School Boards sue the big social media companies for  deliberately hurting students.  While many don’t believe the school boards will prevail in this case, many are hoping it will draw more awareness to the dangers to children of unfettered access to social media. I would share that sentiment, but I take a dim view of virtue signals and hollow gestures when the safety of kids are at stake.  The school boards must take the needed step of removing the gateway device to social media - the smartphone.  If you are going to take the stand that social media is hurting kids, then how can you in good conscience allow access to it in schools?  In fact, the school boards themselves, maybe opening themselves up to the same litigation, once harm to kids is legally established.  Many have argued, as I have, that smartphones will be soon seen in the same light as smoking in the 1950’s.  Back then, smoking took place in...