JUSTCAWS

As June begins I thought it would be appropriate to have a discussion about the pride flag being flown at Ontario schools. Recently, I opined publicly that the Canadian flag should be the only flag flown at schools as it should represent all of us. It is our symbol of unity, pride and progress.  That opinion, however, was liked and commented on by people who were not sharing my enthusiasm for the maple leaf, but liked the exclusion of anything pride. Their derogatory, inflammatory rhetoric made me realize we have not progressed  as far as I had thought or hoped. The importance of the Pride movement hit me more this year than any other. Some comments did give me pause though, to wonder if progressive voices were losing the room.  Even my own support of progressive causes and awareness campaigns is not absolute or without hesitation,  I’ve tried not to become numb to the constant awareness campaigns being pushed at schools for a variety of worthy causes and movements. ...

Another tragic mass shooting in the United States has Greg address the divisive issue of gun control. Sadly, the time for federal gun control in the States has come and gone. Too many rational citizens want guns to protect themselves from guns. This leads to escalation in madness with no apparent end in sight.  Only hope now resides at the state and local levels to enact their own common sense regulations. Time for progressives to get creative as lawmakers have done with abortion laws in conservative states. Perhaps with clear evidence of reduced gun violence in gun controlled jurisdictions a pathway out of this madness can be found.  My hope is for Canada to avoid this vicious cycle altogether. Canada’s superiority complex to the U.S. is deserved - on this file, but we haven’t done much lately to address the increase in gun related crimes. Most Liberal government initiatives are symbolic, and used to exploit divisions. Ban handguns - fine - but without  increasing penalt...

Originally Published in the Guelph Mercury -   January 12, 2008 Looking back at this column and its predictions...  There is much talk and concern about the alleged apathy of our young people when it comes to the political process and exercising their civic duty. Media campaigns and slogans are used to persuade young people to do something they haven't done in great numbers in the past --vote. But we need not worry. The youth of today do care and will vote. And perhaps in even greater numbers than previous generations, once they feel they are part of the process and truly believe that politicians are actually listening to what they have to say. We may be seeing this start to occur south of the border as young people are being turned on by the charismatic Barack Obama in the Democratic primaries. His ability to get out the youth vote could break the current practice of politicians catering mainly to baby boomers who have the numbers and who turn out to vote. The boomers' electo...

With the new school year well underway, I want to talk about that dirty word for students -- homework. It seems it now is a dirty word for some Ontario school boards, too, as they have placed limits on the amount of homework students can be assigned. Some have even gone so far as to ban homework altogether in the early grades. While I can see the merits of reducing the homework burden at the elementary level, I think we do our high school students a disservice if we lessen the expectation of their workload outside the classroom. If anything, in today's competitive global economy we need to raise the bar higher. Telling students to study more and socialize less may be easier said than done. Believe me I know, but we owe it to our young people to keep trying and not give up. When I was in elementary school I was a pretty conscientious student who spent many a night doing at least an hour worth of homework. In Grade 5, I can remember watching with envy from my bedroom window as my sch...

“Hands in my pockets” was the catch phrase for a commercial a few years back that told us how bank fees can eat away at our savings. It was appropriate because it aptly described how banks have easy access to our cherished cash. Financial institutions are one of the few places that send you a bill (your bank statement) after they have already taken the funds out of your account. Some of us will comparison shop for days to make sure we are getting a “good” deal – or drive across town to save a few cents a litre while filling up. Seeing the money leave our hands has an impact. When your money leaves out the back door – we tend not to focus on that – but we should. Service Fees are a very profitable part of the financial industry. These small charges add up quickly and can eat way away at your financial estate. When I was in first year at University, my Dad told me to avoid carrying a large amount of cash around, for fear I might lose it. It was good advice, but it meant that I headed to ...

Before you can even begin to get control of your money, you must first find out where it is going. Drawing up a budget is a waste of time if you have no clue how much you are spending. Setting a limit for yourself of $50 a month on clothes — makes no sense if you currently spend more than $100. Before you can chart a new direction for your personal finances, you must find out where you and your money are headed. When I was back in high school — I made some great coin working various jobs for the city. I was rolling in it, and since my shyness toward the opposite sex ensured that I didn’t have a girlfriend, my dough was all mine. Now, when I look back at all that discretionary income I had, I am left with one question — where the heck did it all go? I never tracked my spending. So, I couldn’t tell you how much I spent on entertainment, clothes, or fast food. The only thing I could tell you was I saved nothing. I never could be bothered tracking my spending. In my day (man, I sound old) ...

Newspaper Version:  https://www.guelphmercury.com/opinion-story/9088815-you-truly-are-richer-than-you-think Take into account your non-discretionary spending to take control of your financial future, writes Greg Cawsey Gregory Cawsey Guelph Mercury Tuesday, December 18, 2018 One of the top excuses for young people not taking their finances seriously is they believe they don’t have that much money to manage. They think they can worry about money management when they are older and are working full time. They need to realize that in high school they are richer than they will be for quite some time. Get high school students to look at their discretionary income levels and they soon realize how rich they are. Let’s take a look at a high school student who nets $5,000 in a year working both part-time after school and during the summer. If that student lives at home, rent-free, with their parents or guardians, all of their $5,000 is theirs to spend however they wish. From deciding to go t...

Before making your riches, examine your attitude toward money Developing positive associations with money will help you manage it better, writes Greg Cawsey Gregory Cawsey Guelph Mercury Wednesday, January 9, 2019 Today, I want to discuss a topic viewed by many as a very personal matter. Some adults believe discussing it in public is just plain rude. Some parents avoid talking to their kids about it at all. Their children are kept in the dark, left to find out what they can from the world around them. What is this private, controversial topic of extreme personal consequence? The topic is money — specifically, your money. Surprised? What did you think I was going to say? Unfortunately, adults have trouble discussing important personal matters with young people. Anyone who has sat through one of those uncomfortable facts-of-life talks with their parents already knows what I’m talking about. Well, at least you had “the talk.” When it comes to money, too many families avoid the topic of pe...

Been tapping my thumbs quite a bit on twitter lately, as it seems many educators have expressing their concerns of various school re-opening plans. While many of my colleagues have been critical of various governments, my ire has been directed at the teacher unions and their fervent followers. Obviously, my comments have been questioned by teacher union supporters, What they fail to grasp is how a teacher and passionate public education supporter would take issue with their own unions. Perhaps a little background is in order for how my view has developed during my 20 + year career.  Being politically minded, I was very interested in the teachers union and its role in public education. Early on I was voted by peers to be my schools collective bargaining rep and later a district federation VP. Here, I received further negotiation training and sat on multiple rounds of negotiations with my corresponding school board. My rose coloured, idealistic glasses were soon broke...

Had a speed brainstorm session with my Grade 12 Sports Marketing  class on ways to increase Grey Cup ratings and buzz. I thought many of the ideas were practical and worth consideration. Here’s a summary:          Bring celebrities into the broadcast booth to call parts of the game – suggestions were Dwayne Johnston aka “The Rock” due to his notoriety and past connection as a former CFL player.   Idea is to follow what the Brier did a few years back having Will Ferrell's Anchor Man character call some of the curling action to gain cross media attention.      Have Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky do a via satellite coin flip and offer his thanks and plea for continued support.  Connection also to the large Ukraine populations in the Canadian Prairies.  Bring in a top talent, i.e.. Shawn Mendes, that skew toward a younger demo for the half – time show, but go outside the traditional timelines. Use some commercial time for spo...

Complained last night on twitter about the length of the world series game. So during the endless dead time came up with the following suggestions. I'm not sure I am a purist, but I have played, coached, managed and umpired this game we love, so not offering anything incredibly radical. All seem doable to me, but welcome your tweaks and ideas too. If chess can add a clock, so can baseball. Some players will feel rushed, but that's the whole idea.  I know some may want to leave the game as is, but professional sports are in the entertainment business. Leagues have to adapt to stay relevant and ensure top talent plays under their banner. Its balancing act to maintain integrity while chasing viewers and advertising dollars. Tried to keep that in mind with the following 9 suggestions for keeping it a 9 inning game. Here goes... 1. Batters cannot step out of the box unless they swing at a pitch or leave the box to avoid being hit by a pitch. If they do step out, a strike is called a...