JUSTCAWS

  Years ago when Pierre Trudeau died I wore a red rose on my lapel to mark the sombre occasion. I say this so the following comments are not taken as some partisan rant, but an objective assessment. I last voted for Justin Trudeau back in 2015 with the hopes of his government offering a breath fresh air in electoral reform. Instead the air blown in our face was pot smoke. That being his signature accomplishment compared to his Dad’s string of a achievements, it’s little wonder that his party has been in minority status ever since. Like his Dad, Justin believes in an activist government and likes the spotlight. So while my small government leanings don’t gel with either, I admired Pierre’s courage and integrity and lament Justin’s lacking. Justin’s divisive approach during and since Covid show a Prime Minister that is more concerned with exploiting division to maintain power than risk alienating his base to unite. Now in the twilight of Justin’s reign, the departure from his Dad’s p...

  Recent  news   of school children being taken to a Pro-Palestinian protest has rightfully caused quite a stir from parents and has led the Ontario Minister of Education to investigate further.  You may ask why schools would allow field trips to participate in political protests altogether - most don’t, but the line between what is deemed “political” is quite blurry.  During my 25 years of teaching, I have witnessed greater emphasis on implementing character and values within education.  While some will point to the increased politicization of some teachers and their unions, what is often overlooked is the Ministry’s own Character Education document  Finding Common Ground   that was released way back in 2008.  I remember this document generating discussion back then as some believed the Liberal government (in power at the time) was trying to push their “values” onto students through this initiative.  In fact, the document itself seems r...

  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.

  The fourth estate in Canada is far too consumed with the State of the American Union than our own  Canadian Dominion.  On a recent trip back from the States, I was looking forward to catching up on some local news as we crossed the border. To my chagrin, the first three stories I heard were about the goings on in the country I just left. While in the U.S. I got my fill on the Democratic National Convention coverage, but it seems the Canadian press believes Canadians can’t get enough of the upcoming American election either.   If you have followed many of my posts, you might find it strange that I would complain of too much U.S. political coverage, when many of my posts contain my take on the goings on in American democracy.  By this point, I would like to think most readers know for better or worse, what they're going to get here.  When I tune into Canadian news I would like to find first and foremost, Canadian content.  What bugged me on this partic...

At the beginning of the Blue Jays season, I said this season’s slogan “to the core” should be called “wait and see”. Well we looked, and nobody has liked what they saw. Too many good starts were wasted by both the continued anemic offense and the average at best, when healthy bullpen.  Fans' frustration has finally registered at the gate, so perhaps someone or some people will be held accountable. Don't hold your breath on that one.   The core players it seems aren’t going anywhere and management isn’t going to fire itself. The only ones with the power to make changes is Rogers and while I believe they are concerned, Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro has done enough to earn for them, to earn a mulligan for himself. While most discontent is directed at Shapiro’s hand picked GM, for better or worse he is tied to Shapiro.  The term Shatkins didn’t happen by accident.  Even the most angry Blue Jays acknowledge it's the baseball operations, not the business side that nee...

  When a government makes mistakes as they often do, I try not to point fingers. Most issues people have with them are a question of priorities and often bad decisions are only discovered with the passage of time. And others in the big scheme of things don’t amount to much anyways. It is why I haven’t gone after Ontario Premier Ford’s blunders maybe as often as I should. Trudeau’s team in Ottawa are the ones who get me going, because I find their choices so damaging to the Canada I know and love. I always try and understand another perspective and understand motive, but I must admit I haven’t decided if Canada’s Trudeau government are completely inept or evil geniuses. I have argued the latter in most posts, but they do keep me guessing. The issue that makes ponder that question right now is Canada’s rising population. We have all read the  headlines  of rapid growth that has taken off since the pandemic. What makes this all the more incredible is that this record populat...

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 ...