Volume 44 No. 17
November 17, 2015
From Malvern to Iqaluit seal meat, Koumantaros learned it’s not available to everyone. SHORTLY AFTER her plane landed Subsidies are available for in Iqaluit, Georgia Koumantaros some imported foods, but advosettled onto a sealskin chair and cates say they aren’t enough. Another challenge in Nunavut watched Nunavut’s 19-person is access to higher education. legislature at work. In Iqaluit, Koumantaros visited “It wasn’t this big show,” said Koumantaros, a Grade 12 Mal- an elementary school where lesvern student and former Queen’s sons are rooted in Inuit culture, Park page. “They were actually and taught in Inuit languages. working together towards a comA former teacher said that two mon goal.” years ago, local elders were outCompared with the theatrics of side the school showing all the question period in Ontario, where kids how to build an igloo when too many MPPs “attack, attack, a rare thing happened – a polar attack,” Koumantaros said the bear walked right into town. Everyone crowded into a gazeterritory’s consensus-style government was refreshing to see. bo for safety, and the bear had to Like the Northwest Territories, be killed. Its fur is now on display Nunavut has no political parties in the school library. – its premier and cabinet are choBut going to high school in sen by the whole legislature. Nunavut is another story. And while consensus decisions Based on the Alberta curaren’t mandatory, they are com- riculum, it has little cultural relmon, as is the polite tone of de- evance to Inuit youth. bate held at the legislature’s cirOne student told Koumantaros cular table. that he actually learned more For five days in Iqaluit, in- about Inuit culture in Ottawa cluding a Halloween with lots of than at home. snowsuits, Koumantaros joined As a bridge to college or unithe Arctic Youth Ambassador versity, Inuit high school graduCaucus – a conference run by the ates can take an eight-month charity Global Vision that brings college program in Ottawa called together youth from across Nun- Nunavut Sivuniksavut, which inavut and all over Canada. cludes classes on contemporary Listening to experts on Inuit Arctic issues, land claims, and culture, education, and food se- Inuit history. curity, Koumantaros learned that Since returning from Iqaluit the territory of 36,000 people has on Nov. 2, Koumantaros has been unique social challenges, but a looking for venues at her school social advantage, too. and elsewhere where she can “The culture is so communal, share what she learned. and has such a building-eachShe is also busy emailing federal MPs and anyone else who other up,” she said. One big challenge in Nunavut may be able to help with another is obvious to anyone who walks task – shipping 15 boxes of chilinto a store and sees $9 tooth- dren’s books to Iqaluit. paste and $10 jugs of milk. Before she left, Koumantaros Any food shipped to Nunavut led a drive to collect the books, is super expensive, and while but she ran into problems with most Inuit families also hunt or transport. fish for “country food,” such as Mailing the books could cost some $2,000, and so far, attempts to find a sponsoring rail or airline company have not come through. Still, Koumantaros is optimistic that she and others at Malvern will find a solution, pointing out that as far away as Nunavut may PHOTO: SUBMITTED be, all Canadians should be Malvern student Georgia Koumantaros at the Beach Gas Bar. It might be considered Upper, Up- able to reach out per Beach, serving Iqaluit, Nunavut. to each other. By Andrew Hudson
PHOTO: ANDREW HUDSON
Standing at attention to remember Junior members of the Navy League Cadet Corps Ark Royal join the Remembrance Day ceremony by the Kew Gardens cenotaph on Nov. 11. For more photos from Remembrance Day activities, see pages 14 and 15.
TDSB studies East End enrolment By Andrew Hudson
A SPECIAL committee reviewing the future of 10 East End high schools is calling for community input. Prompted by falling enrolment at Eastern Commerce Collegiate, which had just 67 students last fall despite a capacity for 903, the Toronto District School Board is studying the possible closure of Eastern and the best way to use another nine high schools nearby. Some of the schools, such as Danforth and Eastdale Collegiate, are under 50 per cent enrolled and projected to remain that way until 2024. Others, such as Riverdale Collegiate and the smaller East York and SOLE alternative schools, are over-enrolled now and projected to remain full or over capacity for the same time period. The other four schools under review include Monarch Park Collegiate, East York Collegiate, Greenwood Secondary, and the Subway Academy 1, all of which have recent and projected enrolments above 65 per cent. Across the city, the TDSB has been under pressure
from the Ontario government to close some of its schools that are under 65 per cent full. Before staff recommend a plan for the 10 schools in the East End, they will consider input from a special committee that includes two students and two parents from each school along with their principals, superintendents and local TDSB trustees Jennifer Story and Sheila Cary-Meagher. Called a Pupil Accommodation Review Committee or PARC, it is scheduled to hold a series of four public meetings on Nov. 23, Nov. 26, Dec. 7, and March 9. During the Dec. 7 meeting, community members are invited to make five-minute presentations. Requests to speak must be emailed to Audrey Amo at accommodationreviews@tdsb.on.ca by Monday, Nov. 30 at 4 p.m. All the meetings will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at Danforth Collegiate, and childcare or an interpreter is available by calling 416-394-7275 a week in advance. Updates on the local school review will be available at tdsb.on.ca/accommodationreviews under 2015 – Toronto-Danforth review.