03282024 March 28, 2024

ÉSCTrilliumstudentscelebrateInternationalFrancophonieDay

Last week, students and staff at École secondaire catholique

TrilliuminChapleaucelebratedInternationalFrancophonieDay!

In addition to proudly displaying their green and white clothes, the students had the opportunity to take part in various fun interactive activities to test their knowledge of the world and Canadian Francophonie.

Created in 1988, the International Francophonie Day (Journée internationale de la Francophonie) is observed within the International OrganizationofLaFrancophonie's77memberstateseveryMarch20to celebratetheFrenchlanguageandFrancophoneculture.Thereareover 369millionFrenchspeakersonEarth.ThisdaydedicatedtotheFrench language is an opportunity for French speakers around the world to celebrate their solidarity and their desire to live together, in their differencesanddiversity,thussharingthevaluesofLaFrancophonie.

Lesélèvesdel'ÉSCTrilliumcélèbrentlajournéeinternationaledelafrancophonie

Long Term Forecast

Thursday

High -9

Low -17

Friday High -4

Low -18

Saturday High -8

Low -17

Sunday

High -4

Low -13.

Monday

High -2

Low -5

Tuesday

High 2

Low 0

La semaine dernière, les élèves et les membres du

personnel de l'école secondaire catholique Trillium (Chapleau)ontsoulignélaJournéeinternationaledela francophonie! En plus d'afficher fièrement leurs vêtements verts et blancs, les élèves ont eu l'occasion de prendre part à diverses activités interactives pour tester leurs connaissances delafrancophoniemondialeetcanadienne.

La Journée internationale de la francophonie est une célébrationmondialed'unejournéedel'Organisationnationale

de la francophonie (OIF) ayant lieu le 20 mars de chaque année. Cet événement a été créé en 1988 comme un moyen pour les 70 États et gouvernements de l'OIF de célébrer leur lien commun — la langue française — aussi bien que leur diversité. Cette journée consacrée à la langue française, qui unit 369 millions de locuteurs, est l'occasion pour les francophones du monde entier de fêter leur solidarité et leur désirdevivreensemble,dansleursdifférencesetleurdiversité, partageantainsilesvaleursdelaFrancophonie.

OrganizeanEasteregg huntyouwon'tforget!

Easter is fast approaching, and what better way to celebrate thisjoyfulholidaythanby planninganunforgettable Easter egg hunt for your children? Follow these tips to create magical memories your little ones won'tforget!

Themedegghunt

Give your egg hunt a theme to make it even more exciting. Whether it's pirates, princesses or farm animals, the experiencewillsurelycaptureyourchildren'simagination.

Cluesandriddles

Increase the intrigue by incorporating clues and riddles. Engage your children in a playful adventure where they must solve mysteriestodiscoverthelocationofthehiddeneggs.

Personalizedeggs

Huntingzones

Decoratedbaskets

Customize Easter eggs based on your children's interests. Paint them withtheirfavouritecoloursandaddstickersorfunnywrittenmessagestomake thehuntextraunique.

Establishdifferenthuntingzonesinyouryardorinsidethehouse.Each spacecanhaveitsowntheme,riddlesorclues,offeringavariedandengaging experience.

Build anticipation by providing each child with a lovely basket. Decorate them according to the theme of the egg hunt for an even more immersiveexperience.

Treasuremap

Draw a treasure map of the inside or outside of your house. Your childrencanfollowthepathanddiscoverthefunobstaclesyou'vepreparedfor them.

Thisyear,getreadytoexperienceanEasteregghuntlikenootheras youwatchyourlittleadventurersmarvelatthesurprisesinstore!

CreateuniqueEasterdecorwiththesecolourfulideas!

DuringEaster,familyandfriendscometogethertocelebraterenewal andthebeautyoflife.Tomakethiseventevenmorememorablethisyear,why notaddafestiveflairtoyourinteriordecor?Herearesomeideasthatwillhelp beautifyyourhomefortheoccasion.

Spring-themedcentrepiece

Craft a thematic centrepiece using nature-inspired elements.Arrange decorativebranches,colourfuleggsandspringflowersinavasetoaddasplash ofcolourtoyourdiningroom.

Easterwreath

MakeauniqueEasterwreathtodecorateyourfrontdoor.Use seasonal flowers, colourful ribbons and animal figurines, such as chicksorrabbits,tocreateawreaththat'sasoriginalasitiswelcoming.

Tableaccessories

Adorn your table with accessories featuring Easter symbols, such as flowers, animals, chocolates, and eggs. Consider putting out seasonalversionsofyourtablecloth,napkins,doiliesandnapkinrings. Thepossibilitiesareendless!

Stringlights

Hang delicate string lights around your fireplace, along the staircaserailingoronyourwindowsilltocreateawarmandenchanting atmosphere.

Decorativeeggs

Decorate eggs to add an Easter touch to your decor.Whether youuserealchickeneggsoronesmadeofwood,cardboardorplastic, these festive symbols are sure to add a pop of colour to your home. From artistic painting to thematic arrangements, you can let your creativity—andthatofyourchildren—runwild!

Eastertree

SetupabeautifulEastertreeinyourentryway,onatableoras thecentrepieceofyourlivingroom.Havefundecoratingitwithpastelcolouredornaments,familyphotosorotherbeautifulobjectsyoufeel representyou.

Chapleau Moments

by

MichaelJ. Morris

Desserttheatreswereanaddedhighlight to the presentation of two dramatic comedies at Ecole Secondaire Chapleau High School during the1986-87schoolyear.

WritinginTheDailyPress,GeorgeEvans notedthatfortheSpringproductionofEmilyand Grant Dickinson's 'The Perfect Idiot', the gymnasium had been transformed for a second timeintoacabaretwheretheaudiencecouldsip

Twocomediespresentedatdesserttheatreshighlighteddrama productionsatEcoleSecondaireChapleauHighSchoolin1986-87

coffeeandnibbleonhome-madedesserts.

Thesuccessfuldesserttheatreformatwas introduced for the school's Fall production of 'ThreetogetMarried'byKayHill.

In his review, George writes that Marcel Morin as Daniel Tennyson was "alternately irritatingly clever and pathetically inept" as he schemed and blundered his way to his final success." In the beginning he was a high school geniusandsocialdisaster.

Dan's bewildered parents were played "with convincing authority" by Glen Pilon and Trudy Wilson with Michael Telik as Dan's younger brother and Tara Brunette as the bustling, motherly maid, completing the Tennysonhousehold.

George noted that Jeremy Comte was effective as the dumb athlete, Buff Witomski, whose inability to pass exams greatly worried Kathy Byer and Leah Cyr the scheming cheerleaders.

ChristopherIvey,whoplayedabumbling industrialist gave an energetic impression in his role, while Cindy McLaren as the high school principalandAllisonBerryasateacherprovided "alarmingly accurate impersonations of the real thing," George wrote, adding that it was also as though they had been preparing for the parts for years.

Jennifer Swanson played the role of the high school principal's daughter while Andre Bourgeault was a police officer, MchaelAlloy a psychiatrist and Kelly Booth, a newspaper reporter.

Mrs. Yvette Joyal was the production secretary and was responsible for makeup and costumes assisted by Lisa Martel and Paula Martel.ThepropertymasterwasJenniferVezina assistedbyGinetteMorin;soundeffectsbyAlain Lavoie;stagemanagersChrisRangerandDarryl Vezina; lighting assistant Camille Fortin; prompter Tara Leigh O'Hearn and the hostesses for the dessert theatre organized by Margaret Rose Fortin were Jocelyne Rioux and Sharon

Henderson.

Michael Holgate and Michael Heintz joined me in directing the play while other teaching staff members involved included Alex Babin, Jean Pierre Villeneuve, Rick Dell, CarolynHryhorchuk,DavidAnderson,andChris Knowles. The schools head custodian Gilbert Landrywasanunsungherooftheproduction.

In the Fall of the year, the first dessert theatre was held at ESCHS when the students presented'ThreetogetMarried',acomedysetin Nova Scotia in 1835 centring around the scheming efforts of Rev. Horatio Dogberry playedbyChristopherIveytomarryoffhisthree daughters. It is a delightful comedy and a play which I first directed for the Chapleau Little Theatrein1969.

from OTTAWA Rapport

d’Ottawa

by/par Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

The Finance Minister has signaled that thenextFederalbudgetwillbereleasedonApril 16th. She has indicated that the topline focus of the budget will primarily be on affordability issues, which should come as little surprise to anyone, but as always, the devil will be in the details.

Amidthecurrentaffordabilitycrisis,itis clearthatfartoomanyCanadiansarefeelingthe pinch, especially so among people who do not currentlyowntheirhome.TheCanadaMortgage andHousingCorporation(CMHC)hasindicated thatCanadahasthelowestnationalvacancyrate sincetheybegantrackingthisdatain1988,with only 1.5 percent of rental units sitting vacant. CMHC data shows that the average rent for a two-bedroom purpose-built apartment rose by 5.6 percent in 2022 and eight percent in 2023. These are exceptional numbers when compared to the average year-over-year increase of 2.8 percentbetween1990and2022.

We are clearly in a position where the demand of housing is outstripping the supply. There'salotofissuesthathavecompoundedthis problem. Sky-high housing costs themselves drive more people to stay in rental housing longer. High interest rates are making potential new homeowners second-guess when they shouldconsidererbuying.Immigrationlevelsare high,andretireesarelookingtodownsize.Allof whicharecompoundinganalready-tightmarket further. A study from the Centre for Urban Research and Education at Carleton University concluded that for every new affordable rental unitbuiltbetween2011and2021,11affordable rentalunitswerelost.One-thirdofCanadiansare renters,andthatdemographicisgrowingtwiceas fastashomeowners.

Another driver of rental costs has been the financialization of rental units.Asignificant portionofrentalunitsarebeingboughtupbyreal estate investment trusts (REITs). REITs now account for somewhere between 20 and 30 percentofallrentalunitsinCanada,andtheyare driving up rental costs. Short-term rental units, popularized by companies like AirBNB and Vrbo, are also having a significant effect on housing availability and rental costs. A recent reportfromDesjardinsshowsthatforeveryone percent increase in the share of short-term rentals, there was an associated 2.3 per cent

WeNeedBetterProtectionsforRentersinBudget2024

increaseinrentcosts.

We clearly need to do more to stop the financialization of rental markets that are pushingfartoomanyCanadianstothebreaking point. A good starting point would be to reestablish the co-op housing program that was axedbytheHarperConservativesandeliminated 800,000 affordable homes. While plenty of blame can be tossed towards the current Liberal government for its inability to get more homes built,theHarpergovernment'seliminationofthe federalco-ophousingprogramhasclearlyhada significantimpactonwherewearetoday.

Further to this, the next Federal budget shouldestablishafundtoprotectrenterstohelp not-for-profit organizations buy affordable housing when it's on the market. The B.C. government recently established the Rental Protection Fund.The concept is to provide one-

time capital grants for not-for-profit housing organizations to buy existing housing stock, which allow those organizations to provide renters housing at below-market rates. This wouldalleviatesomeofthepressuresofthecosts associated with the overheated market for those withmoremodestincomes.Theprogram,while stillinitsinfancy,hasthegoalofsecuringupto 2,000units.

Clearly large developers, REITs and short-term rental housing do not have the best interests of renters in mind. InToronto, eviction notices for renters increased by 77 per cent last year. Our country is in desperate need to both rebalance housing stock and build more. We'll see if the government recognizes this dire need anddoesenoughtohelprentersintheupcoming budget.

Ilfautmieuxprotégerleslocatairesdanslebudgetde2024

LaministredesFinancesaannoncéquele prochainbudgetfédéralseraitdévoiléle16avril prochain.Elleaindiquéquelesproblèmesliésà l'abordabilitéseraientaucœurdubudget(cequi nesurprendrapersonne),mais,commetoujours, c'estdanslesdétailsquesecachentlesdifficultés. En pleine crise de l'abordabilité, bien trop de Canadiensressententunepressionfinancière,en particulier ceux qui sont locataires. La Société canadienne d'hypothèques et de logement (SCHL) a affirmé qu'au Canada, le taux d'inoccupation des appartements destinés à la location a touché un nouveau creux (1,5 %) depuis que la SCHLa commencé à l'enregistrer en1998.SelonlesdonnéesdelaSCHL,leloyer moyen des appartements de deux chambres destinés à la location a augmenté de 5,6 % en 2022 et de 8 % en 2023. Ces chiffres sont nettementau-dessusdelahaussemoyennesur12 moisenregistréede1990à2022(2,8%).

Manifestement, la demande dépasse largement l'offre dans le secteur du logement. Toutessortesdefacteursontaggravéleproblème :lecoûtexorbitantdeshabitationspoussedeplus en plus de gens à demeurer en appartement; les tauxd'intérêtélevésfonthésiterceuxquiveulent accéder à la propriété; les taux d'immigration augmentent et les retraités se cherchent des logements plus petits. Il en résulte un resserrement d'un marché qui était déjà étroit. UneétudeduCentrederechercheetdeformation sur le milieu urbain de l'Université Carleton a révélé que, de 2011 à 2021, on avait perdu 11 logements locatifs abordables pour chaque nouveaulogementlocatifabordable.Letiersdes Canadiens sont locataires, et leur nombre augmente deux fois plus vite que celui des propriétaires.

Lafinanciarisationdeslogementslocatifsestun autreélémentquifaitcroîtrelecoûtdulogement. Les fiducies de placement immobilier (FPI) achètent une part importante des logements locatifs; elles détiennent environ 20 à 30 % de tous les logements locatifs au Canada et font grimper les loyers. La location de courte durée popularisée par des entreprises commeAirBNB et Vrbo a aussi une grande incidence sur le nombre de logements disponibles et les loyers. D'après un récent rapport de Desjardins, chaque hausse d'un point de pourcentage de la part des logements à location de courte durée s'accompagned'unehaussede2,3%desloyers. Il est clair que nous devons en faire plus pour stopper la financiarisation des logements locatifsquipoussebientropdeCanadiensàbout. Un bon point de départ serait de rétablir le programmefédéraldecoopérativesdelogement que les conservateurs de M. Harper ont abandonné, nous privant ainsi de 800 000 logements abordables. Bien que l'on puisse reprocher au gouvernement libéral actuel de ne pas avoir réussi à faire construire plus de logements, l'élimination du programme par le gouvernementHarperamanifestementbeaucoup contribué à la situation dans laquelle nous nous trouvonsaujourd'hui.

Enoutre,lebudgetfédéralàvenirdevrait prévoir la création d'un fonds de protection des locatairespermettantàdesorganismesàbutnon lucratif d'acheter les logements abordables qui sont mis sur le marché. Le gouvernement de la Colombie-Britannique a d'ailleurs récemment créé un tel fonds, qui fournit des subventions d'investissement unique à des organismes à but non lucratif pour acheter, parmi le parc immobilierexistant,desSuiteP.7

ChapleauMoments

Cont’dfromP.3

Thedaughters,Angelina,Seraphina,and Dulcinea,playedbyTrudyWilson,AnitaHoffren and Jennifer Swanson respectively, gave great

performances, while their father "tricked" the unsuspecting arrivals at their church rectory doubling as an inn into marrying his daughters. The suitors to be and eventual husbands were

Casual Custodian (Chapleau

Ontario)

TheAlgoma District School Board invites applications for the position of Casual Custodian in Chapleau.

Educational Qualifications:

· Grade 12 Diploma or Equivalent

Requirements:

· Basic knowledge of cleaning procedures

· Ability to follow instructions and to cooperate with other employees and with persons who use Board facilities from time to time

· Ability to meet the physical demands of the position as demonstrated by completing a Physical DemandsAnalysis

· Successful candidates will be required to undergo a Criminal Background Check

Summary of Duties:

! Shifts are offered on a day-to-day basis via phone between 9:00AM – 11:00AM (i.e. no scheduled shifts)

! Clean part or all of a school or office building which involves sweeping, washing, waxing, dusting, scrubbing, mopping, polishing, shampooing, vacuum cleaning

! Securing building

! Use of step ladders, scaffolds as required

! When necessary, assist maintenance worker with repairs

! Receive and store school supplies

! Maintain lighting, plumbing, windows, painting, varnishing

! Work in compliance with allActs, Regulations and Board Policies and Procedures, including Health and Safety Policies and Procedures

! Other duties as assigned by designated personnel

Hours of work will vary between the hours of 6:00AM and 11:00PM – as determined by the Algoma District School Board to meet operational needs.

Applications must be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 29th, 202 and may be forwarded to:

Nic Turco Human Resources Officer turcon@adsb.on.ca

Algoma District School Board 644Albert Street East Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A2K7

Only those applicants short-listed will be contacted

AshortlistingofapplicantsforconsiderationwillbecompletedemployingtheAlgomaDistrictSchoolBoard Hiring Policy. Should there be a need for interviews, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Accommodationsthroughtherecruitmentandselectionprocessareavailableuponrequest.Thesuccessful candidate,asaconditionofemployment,willberequiredtoprovideacurrentvulnerablesectorcheck,which isacceptabletotheBoard.

TheAlgomaDistrictSchoolBoardiscommittedtoanequitableeducationsystemthatupholdsandreflects theprinciplesoffairandinclusiveeducation.Additionalinformationaboutspecificprograms,andtheVision, Mission,ValuesandPrioritiesoftheAlgomaDistrictSchoolBoardcanbefoundatwww.adsb.on.ca.

playedbyGlenPilon,MarcelMorin,andMichel Sylvestre.

Jennifer Vezina played Aunt Lizzie, Dogberry's sister, while Debra Vezina and Allison Berry were the congregation. Linda Tebbutt was the handyman. Catherine Pellow wasthehostessforthedesserttheatre.Setswere by Chris Ranger; property master Cindy Mclaren; prompter Tania Stover, and the music club was under the direction of Margaret Rose FortinandJoanneLaughland.

Membersofaparent'scommitteehelping with the dessert theatre included Joyce Vezina, ErmaStover,SheilaWilson,andMarianPellow. Mrs. Joyal was in charge of makeup and costumes and Carolyn Hryhorchuk choreography.MichaelHolgate,MichaelHeintz, andIdirectedtheplay.

GeorgeEvans,RickDell,AlexBabinand Jean Pierre Villeneuve of the teaching staff also assisted.

JamieThibaultwroteasfollows:"Chief, I'm sitting here going through a copy of a program from your production of "Three to Get Married" in 1969 in which you were lead. My brother Ronnie and I moved my mother on the weekendtoanapartmentinWindsorandIcame acrossit.QuitethememoriesforyouI'msureand alsoformeasIwasamemberoftheDramaclub in the early 70's as well. Other members of the production were Bernadette Murphy, Eleanor Belfry,SoniaRiddoch,MargaretCostello,Frank Bignucolo,DouglasRettieandPeterReid.Mom didthesetdesignandmakeup.

"I kinda of remember it as a 10 year old because it was a big thing back then and Mom wasinvolved.Ifmymemoryservesmewellthe NEW High School on the hill had just been inauguratedafewyearsbefore.”

Just a note on Jamie's message. His motherisMoniqueThibaultasmanyreaderswill know.Yes,IhadtoplayRev.HoratioDogberryat thelastmomentwhenthepersonintherolewas transferredandRobertFife,thenaCHSstudent, now Ottawa bureau chief for CTV News, also joined the cast when another actor became ill.

LUCIA REECE ALGOMA DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD JENNIFER SARLO Director of Education www.adsb.on.ca Chairperson

MOMENTS IN TIME

On April 8, 1930, baseball legend Babe Ruth signed a two-year contract for a then enormous sum of $160,000 with the New York Yankees, prompting the team's general manager, Ed Barrow,topredict(with,ofcourse,nowlaughable inaccuracy) that "No one will ever be paid more thanRuth."

Lastweekssolutions

Travis Gendron

tgendron@northernlightsford.ca sales@northernlightsford.ca

SuperiorEast OPPChargesPersonWithSexualAssault

A Chapleau resident is facing criminal charges as a result of a sexual assault investigation. On March 23, 2024, shortly after 4:00 p.m., the Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a domestic disturbance on Pine Park Road in Chapleau.

Asaresultoftheinvestigation,a52-yearold person from Chapleau was arrested and chargedwith:

· SexualAssault

· AssaultwithaWeapon-Spousal

· Assault-Spousal

· Uttering Threats to Cause DeathSpousal

The accused was held for a bail hearing,

Ilfautmieuxprotégerleslocataires danslebudgetde2024

SuitedelaP.4 logements qu'ils loueront à un prix inférieur à celuidumarché.Cecipermetd'allégerlapression financière découlant de la surchauffe du marché pourlespersonnesauxrevenusplusmodestes.Le programme,quienestencoreàsesdébuts,apour objectifd'acquérirjusqu'à2000logements.

Il est certain que les grands promoteurs, lesFPIetlesservicesdelocationdecourtedurée n'ont pas l'intérêt des locataires en tête. L'an dernier, le nombre d'avis d'expulsion de locataires à Toronto a augmenté de 77 %. Notre paysadésespérémentbesoinderééquilibrerson parc de logements et de construire davantage d'habitations. Nous verrons bien si le gouvernement reconnaîtra ce besoin urgent et fera le nécessaire dans le budget à venir pour aiderleslocataires.

andremandedintocustody.Duetothedomestic nature of the incident, the name of the accused willnotbereleasedtoprotecttheidentityofthe victim.

Victimsofsexualassaultarenotalone.If you need support or know someone who does, local resources can help. Wawa & Area Victim Services (WAVS) assists all communities in Superior East. They can be reached by phone: (705)856-7852oremail:exdir@wavs.cc.Ifyou areinanimmediatecrisis,call9-1-1.

Pimii Kamik Gas Bar

ALCOHOLICS

(A.A).Open discussion meeting every Monday evening. Brunswick House First Nation Band office lounge 7pm.NarcoticsAnonymous(N.A)everyTuesdaysameplacesametime. NNADAPWorker@864-0174info.

CHADWIC HOME,

RESOURCE CENTRE. Offers shelter, emotionalsupport,and

forwomenandtheirchildrenwhoarein crisissituations.WehaveaTollFreeCrisisLinewhichisstaffed24hoursa day.WecanarrangeforfreetransportationtotheCentreforwomenwho liveintheAlgoma/Chapleauarea.Wealsooffersupporttowomenwholive in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and HornepaynethroughourOutreachProgram.OurOutreachWorkertravels tothosecommunitiestomeetwithwomenwhoneedemotionalsupportas wellasinformationabouttheirrightsandoptions.Ifyouneedtospeakwith the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up

At theconclusionof theMarch Break,my team noted an uptick in the number of comments andenquiriesaboutthewoesofOntario'seducation system. Regular readers may recall that I recently wrote a column on the matter. The problem, of course, is a shortage of teachers, education assistantsandearlychildhoodeducators.Thelongtermeffectsofthisshortageareprovingtobemore than a challenge for school boards, principals and teachers. Ontario needs the government to implement thoughtful, effective, significant changesimmediately.Otherwise,theeffectsonour childrenwillbeprofoundandlong-term.

However, what Ontarians may not understandiswhysuchashortageexists.

Whatstartedoutasagrowingconcernwas actually predicted back in the 90s. The Economic Policy Institute published a report called “The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, and worsethanwethought” in2019.Theycitedastudy that examined a list of indicators that “are critical signals. They [the indicators] help analysts detect whentherearenotenoughqualifiedteacherstofill staffing needs in a labour market that does not operate like other labour markets.” The shortage became a problem under the previous Liberal government. However, since the Conservative governmentcametopower,themismanagementof the education system escalated a problem into an urgentcrisis.

Anarticlepublishedin on EdCanNetwork October 3, 2023, announced that teachers are burningoutatanalarmingrate.Theysaidasurvey ofteachersacrossCanadafoundthat85percentof themreportawork-lifeimbalance.Italsonotedthat 30 percent of new teachers leave the profession in under 5 years. The workload, stress and violence experienced in teaching today is not something they can see themselves continuing as a lifetime career. The bottom line is that the workloads and demandshavebecomeunbearable.

ThepeopleofOntariomustunderstandthat the classrooms we knew growing up are not the same learning environment that our children and youth experience today. Teachers and education assistants are leaving the profession altogether because the job has become mentally and physically overwhelming. Worse is the fact that whenyoungpeoplearecontemplatinggettingtheir degreestobecomealicensedteacher,oncetheytalk to someone already in the trenches, they are soon dissuaded because the REAL job description and working conditions they hear scare them away. Suchreasonsinclude:

· Overcrowdingofclasses

· Teachingsplitclassesof2andeven3grade levels

DougFordhasadoptedRedGreen'sapproachtofixingproblems

· Increasedstudentassessmentandreporting

· Integration of special needs students, includingseverebehaviouralstudents,intoregular classeswithoutconsistentandadequateEAsupport

· Increaseinbehaviourandviolentincidents directedatstaffduetostudentfrustrationfromlack ofsuccessandsupport

Also of great concern is the Ford government's deteriorating respect and lack of concernforthewelfareofeducationprofessionals. Oftherecentlysettlednegotiations,theElementary Teachers Federation of Ontario magazine stated: “Teachers are dedicated professionals who invest their time, energy, and passion into nurturing the potential within each student. Yet, the Ford government's continuous disregard for teachers' expertise, input, and well-being, as well as their attacksontheprofession,haveerodedthemoraleof the very individuals entrusted with inspiring Ontario's students and helping them to succeed. Allowingtheseconditionstopersistharmsstudents andschools.”

Doesthisrefrainsoundsimilartothecries fromOntarionurses?

On the matter of violence experienced by staff,itseemsthestepstakenbytheMinistryhave had virtually no positive impact whatsoever in addressingtheissue. onMay CTVNewsreported 15,2023,thatanastounding80percentofteachers reported personally experiencing or witnessing violence involving staff. Now, think of your place ofwork.Haveyouhadsomeoneatworkbite,kick, punch,orthrowachairorequipmentatyou?Would you and 80 percent of your coworkers be able to report experiencing or witnessing workplace violence? Your workplace is probably nowhere nearthatnumber.

I was thinking the other day about this issue,andIconcludedthatPremierFordmayhave hired Red Green (of CBC TV show fame) as a specialpoliticalconsultant.

Let me explain. It appears to me that the Ford government's approach to resolving the teachershortagecrisishasRed'Green'sphilosophy written all over it. I say this because of Red's affinityforusingducttape.Fansoftheprogramare well acquainted with Red's claim that you can use duct tape to fix absolutely everything in the universe. And if it doesn't work, it simply means youjustaren'tusingenoughtape.

For the last few years, school boards have had to rely heavily on retired teachers, student teachers,andevenvirtuallyunqualifiedindividuals to fill the vacancies. Retired teachers have historically been limited to substitute teaching for upto50daysperyear.Duringthepandemic,when somanyworkers,includingteachers,hadtobeoff work for weeks, the Ontario Teachers Federation (OTF) agreed to temporarily almost double the maximumto95days.Thisagreementwasextended atthegovernment'srequestforthelastthreeyears, based on the understanding that the Ministry of

Education would effectively recruit new teachers with up-to-date training and skills. However, the Province has not kept its end of the bargain. And with the way they publicly negotiated and treated teachers,theybasicallyshotthemselvesinthefoot.

Upon assessing the government's progress inrecruitment,OTFdeclinedtherequesttoextend the 95-day work maximum for the coming year. TheMarch19,2024editionofTorontoStarquoted OTF saying, “Amending the rule was only ever envisioned as a short-term measure. Deflecting responsibility onto retired teachers is neither a sufficient nor a sustainable option to address staffing challenges. Changing the rule for retired members neither encourages working teachers to remaininthesystemnordoesitattractprospective candidatestojointheprofession.”

This decision astounded the government andschoolboardsalikeastheydeclaredthatOTF's decision would come at the expense of Ontario students. Education Minister Lecce immediately pointed the finger at teachers, calling the decision “regrettable,”saying,“Despiteaddingnearly3,000 more teachers since 2018 and cutting certification timelines in half, school boards have cited their concernsabouthighratesofteacherabsenteeism.” Really,MinisterLecce?

The Ministry has known just how bad the situation was since they were elected over 5 years ago.Theyknowthousandsmoreteachersneedtobe hired,yettheyhaveonlyadded3,000inthosefive years.That'snoteven1,000peryear!That'strulya dropinthebucket.

The problem is that the government is relying on temporary measures that in no way permanently address education issues. David Mastin, first vice-president of the Elementary Teachers Federation, responded to Lecce's criticism,sayingthattheProvince“isaskingusfor this Band-Aid … it covers the problem, and it preventspeoplefromseeingtherealproblem…As uncomfortable as this may be, we need people to seewhatthisproblemis.”

You can call it a Band-Aid solution, but I sayabetterwaytodescribeitisthatFordusesRed Green's duct tape approach to fix education. I vividly imagine Red advising Premier Ford in a high-stakes meeting about relying heavily on retired teachers to solve the problem. Red says, “This is only temporary – unless it works.” Unfortunately,itseemsPremierFordandMinister Lecceagreewiththis,too.

So, in the meantime, Premier Ford is contenttositbackandseeifhisducttapejobworks – at the expense of our children and their future. Let'shopethereisasuddenshortageofducttapein Queen'sPark.

Asalways,Iinviteyoutocontactmyoffice about these issues or any other provincial matters. You can reach my constituency office by email at mmantha-co@ola.org or call Toll-free 1-800-8311899.