… is confirming her support for the Ontario’s wasteful and discriminatory duplicate school board system.

If there is an election over the Budget, my vote for the Ontario Greens – the only party to say that the system needs a second look – is a lock! (6)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

… even if the teacher’s action tomorrow is declared illegal, do NOT reverse yesterday’s decision to close all elementary schools. And here is why:

• Student safety – if told to go to work as usual or face consequences, many teachers will NOT and there is no way to anticipate how many, where and in which grades. How can a school’s senior staff plan for this? They can’t. And student safety may be put at risk… not at all intentionally by the teachers, but as an indirect consequence of choosing to keep the schools open under unsure staffing levels. The TDSB is keeping their schools closed regardless of the outcome of today’s OLB decision:
  

  Meanwhile, the 474 elementary and junior-high schools run by the Toronto District School Board will be closed Friday even if the government is able to a prevent the walkout by teachers.

  Even if teachers are forced back to work, there is no way to know exactly how many staff members will be able to come to work, according to a TDSB spokeswoman.

  “We can’t ensure that there’s enough adult supervision at the school to make it a safe environment,” said Shari Schwartz-Maltz.

• I cannot picture a more poisoned workplace than an Ontario elementary school tomorrow if the teachers are forced to abandon their one-day strike action. Strong union supporters will clash with those who are lukewarm.  Many will be very angry and I don’t want my kids to walk into a hornet nest!
• Opening the schools will make an already bad situation even worse for some families. It is bad enough that little notice was given of this action and many parents were forced to scramble. But if families do not find out until 8 pm tonight (as we have been told by the OCDSB), then there be even MORE scrambling to contact alternate care providers. And what about those providers? How can they staff their operations with this uncertainty! I know that many parents are not as fortunate as my wife and I who can take (our quickly dwindling) annual leave to cover off things like these, but many are not as lucky.

Ya know, folks, in my life I have seldom seen such a sequence of utterly stupid decisions-making.  Both the Ontario government and the teachers unions have shown such awful judgement on each step of this trek into Stupidville! It truly boggles the mind. (54)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

The Director of Education has just announced that all OCDSB elementary schools will be closed on Friday.

All Ottawa peeps in the English public system should plan accordingly. (40)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

… Ottawa-Centre Dipper nomination.

Trustee Jennifer McKenzie has announced her intention to seek the nomination for the Ottawa-Centre NDP candidacy. Trustee McKenzie will continue in her role as trustee and in her capacity as Chair of the Board.

I commend her for stepping up, takes guts. Although I have to question the timing given that there is a major Accommodation Review happening in her Zone right now. The folks who elected her really need that involved presence during this review. I work with some of her constituents who have children in one of the schools in the review, and they are very concerned that they will be losing an important voice at the Board table.

Will she be able to adequately represent her constituents’ interests while in what will be a tough nomination fight?

I guess we’ll see.

  (38)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

… are serious decisions that impact thousands of familites. The decision to cancel should not be made lightly and should keep the chidrens’ safety first and foremost. BUT, erring on the side of caution can be taken a bit too far.

Take the last two Mondays, for example, last Monday was most definitely an over reaction. The buses needn’t have been cancelled. Yesterday, maybe.

And then there’s this morning. I’m writing this on the bus. A bus that is slipping and sliding all over Albert Street!

If any day should have been a snow day, it should have been today. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of consistency in the decision-making process at the OSTA.

Transportation Cancellations

The safety of students is always the first consideration when the Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) makes the decision to cancel transportation services.

The OSTA and the Consortium de transport scolaire d’Ottawa have developed joint procedures for school transportation cancellations in the case of inclement weather and/or adverse road conditions.

OSTA and Consortium de transport scolaire d’Ottawa staff make the decision to cancel school transportation services based on the the best forecasted weather information available at the time the decisions need to be made, in collaboration with several external sources, and our combined prior experience.

Several times each day, evening and overnight, OSTA staff receive up-to-date information from The Weather Network and Environment Canada regarding weather and road conditions in the City of Ottawa and the surrounding area. When weather or roads appear hazardous, OSTA staff review the weather and road information received. We are in contact with school bus operators, other area school board transportation staff, and municipal roads crews to assist in determining whether school transportation services will proceed or be cancelled for the day.

; (275)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

… the ONE day walkout by elementary teachers today.

Suck it up.

This is democracy in action, regardless of whether or not you believe that teachers (or anyone else for that matter) should have the right to strike. Under the current law, they DO have that right. This. Is. A. Fact. Look it up.

Go ahead, my conservative friends, knock that one down!

And it is only ONE day! I remember that back in 1982ish my brother having to move way from home to complete his Grade 13 because the West Parry Sound School Board teachers struck for MONTHS!

As I am typing this (oh, btw, I’m home with the kids today – and don’t begrudge the teachers one bit), I am listening to a Barrhaven mother being interviewed on CBC who is expressing her worry about her children having to be exposed to picket lines!

I’m serious! She is worried about her kids being exposed to democracy!

Of course, she is from Barrhaven… (50)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

From the OCDSB site.

==================================================================================

ETFO Work To Rule Strategy

(426)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…is a small school in Ottawa (close to my ‘hood) that desperately needs a new playground. Well, any playground for that matter, cuz right now it ain’t got nuthin’ except for an small aging play structure, a sandbox and asphalt… lots of asphalt.

No trees. No shade of any kind, in fact.

When I think that the playground at my school – a zillion years back – had way more equipment, trees, shade, places to sit than this school has, I am gob-smacked! That was in the Middle Ages, people!

But hey, don’t take MY word for it!, here’s a screen shot of the school. The play area is to the left and yup, lots of asphalt, eh?

But what École Marie-Curie DOES have is a very concerned, active and motivated school Council and they have launched a drive to fund a new playground through the AVIVA Community Project funding competition. There are a number of rounds of public voting and the top 10 from each round go onto the next until winners are chosen – by votes – in each of the project categories (large, medium, small).

All you have to do is register and vote each day for the project. Everyone can vote once in a 24 hour period and we are now at day 4 of the 2 week-long round.

Here is the link.

Yes, you give them your email, but I registered during last year’s campaign and didn’t receive a single soliciting email… so they don’t spam you!

Please consider doing this. School Boards don’t fund these things anymore. Fundraising by parents and the help of generous corps like AVIVA are the ONLY ways to pay for what the kids need. (76)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…on my bus this morning and on Twitter about schools needing to be closed today!

Listen up.

Legit reasons to close schools:

• Power outage
• Water outage
• Major snowstorm / freezing rain event that puts staff and / or students at risk of physical harm
• Earthquakes – big ones
• Invasion by aliens
• Invasion by the U.S. or other former superpower
• Locusts – big ones

Not a legit reason:

• Major storm 500 km away that may cause things to get a bit breezy in Ottawa

Sheesh!

Back in MY day, we walked to school in raging snowstorms with -55F temps! That’s FAHRENHEIT, KIDS! AND WE WORE NEWSPAPER ON OUR FEET CUZ WE COULDN’T AFFORD BOOTS!

Sheesh. Kids these day…

  (152)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

… especially point “C”.

It won’t make a hill of beans of a difference, but the Board said what needed saying.

Thanks to @nancy_akehurst for the pic.

(76)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario