A recent opinion piece highlights many of the serious and likely consequences from signing the Canadian European Trade Agreement (CETA). Unlike previous trade agreements CETA eliminates the right of a municipality to procure goods and services locally. It also opens up our water treatment industries to multinational corporations. Despite the potential for “serious, unanticipated consequences for municipalities,” local leaders have not been invited to negotiations. Author Kim Slater is urging those who are elected on November 19th to educate themselves on the subject and to demand consultation. Read opinion piece here.
Year: 2011
Successful Practices in First Nations Education: Based on the Tyee Solutions Society Series by Katie Hyslop
First Nations educators are offering inspiration and hope to a new generation of learners. Join us for an afternoon of presentations and discussion about K-12 programs that go beyond usual practice.
Educators from Chief Atahm School on the Adams Lake Reserve, and the school districts of Haida Gwaii and Vancouver BC share successful stories from these very different communities.
Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre
Meeting Room 206, 207, Vancouver
Featuring:
ROBERT MATTHEW: Robert Matthew, Principal Chief Atahm School – is a member of the Simpcw First Nation. He has a Master of Education: Administration and Curriculum, and is a past First Nations Schools Association board member. He has worked for 32 years in education, and has worked for the past 17 years at Chief Atahm School, a Parent-Operated First Nation School. He has extensive experience in Secwepemc language and history, field research and curriculum development. He believes that a strong positive cultural identity will foster an inner strength that will enable First Nations students to meet challenges as adults. Teaching first Nations history, culture and language can be integrated into a student’s education. Mr. Matthew is married with a daughter and two step sons.
JOANNE YOVANOVICH: I was born and raised in the Ts’aahl Eagle Clan of Skidegate on Haida Gwaii my Haida name is Taanud Jaad. I currently work as the Principal of Aboriginal Education for School District 50 Haida Gwaii. I am rooted in my community and the place of Haida Gwaii and strive to connect the worlds of cultural and school knowledge.I am deeply committed to making a difference in student success rates on Haida Gwaii. I believe that culturally responsive education is a key to student success, as it is transformative, inspiring and validating for both students and staff who are willing to embrace the philosophy.
GLORIA RAPHAEL: Gloria is from the Nlhaka’pamux Nation and has one daughter, Tanya, who is a teacher with the Victoria School District. Gloria was born and raised in Lytton BC and comes from a family of seven sisters and three brothers. Presently, she is the principal of Grandview/¿uuqinak’uuh Elementary and has just been hired by Surrey School District as the District Principal Education Services (with an Aboriginal Education Focus).Gloria has been involved in education for the past 30 years. Most of her teaching was with the Vernon School district and three years in Australia. She worked with the Qualicum School District as a First Nation Education Coordinator/Counsellor, the Ministry of Education both in Field Services and Aboriginal Education Divisions. She was a principal with the Victoria School District and there she facilitated the Aboriginal Education Enhancement Agreement and was part of a team who developed the “Circle of Connectedness” a tool for tracking the “sense of care and belonging” in schools. She continues to be actively involved in Aboriginal Education.
with an introduction from:
KATIE HYSLOP: Katie Hyslop was born and raised in Newfoundland and Labrador, but since coming to Vancouver in 2008 to complete a masters of journalism at the University of British Columbia, she hasn’t found a good reason to leave the west coast yet. A journalist for eight years, Katie specializes in social justice and education reporting, and has written in The Tyee, Megaphone Magazine, OpenFile Vancouver, The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, and This Magazine, as well as produced pieces for CBC Radio.
Read Katie Hyslop’s series Successful Practices in First Nations Education.
Registration Fee – $30
Scholarships are available. Call 604-695-2033or email salbertson@columbiainstitute for more information.
Toronto considers gas tax to ease congestion woes
Groups such as the Toronto Board of Trade and the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance are throwing their support behind the idea of a gas tax that would be used to fund transportation projects. Toronto currently has the worst gridlock in the country. The idea of a tax will be discussed today at the Toronto Talks Mobility – Public Forum. Vancouver similarly is dealing with congestion issues and after years of opposition to the idea, the Metro Vancouver Mayor’s Council approved a 2-cents-per-litre increase on the provincial gas tax. The tax will help fund projects such as the Evergreen Line which is projected to move 70,000 commuters per day. Read more in the Toronto Star.
Our energy infrastructure must change dramatically within 5 years to halt catastrophic climate change
The International Energy Agency (IEA) is warning that time is running out for halting the dangerous effects of climate change. The agency is warning that current fuel-based energy initiatives that are continuing to be built will create a lock-in effect within 5 years that will cause irrevocable damage to the earth. The warning comes as an analysis shows that “emissions had risen by a record amount in 2010 despite the worst recession for 80 years. Last year, a record 30.6 gigatonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide poured into the atmosphere from burning fossil fuel, a rise of 1.6Gt on the previous year.”..” The IEA’s data is regarded as the gold standard in emissions and energy, and it is widely regarded as one of the most conservative in outlook – making today’s warning all the more stark.” Read more in the Guardian.
Toronto’s Library Committee has voted no to closing branches
Rob Ford is pressuring the Toronto Library board to cut 10% of its budget, totaling approximately 7 million dollars. The board has been pouring over recommendations for cuts including eliminating computers from all libraries, charging for library cards and closing 38 of Toronto’s libraries. For now the board has voted against closures. They have yet to determine what budget cutting measures they will put in place. Read more in the Globe and Mail.
Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators
The 2011 edition of Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators enables countries to see themselves in the light of other countries’ performance. It provides a broad array of comparable indicators on education systems and represents the consensus of professional thinking on how to measure the current state of education internationally. The indicators report covers the following broad topics:
- The Output of Educational Institutions and the Impact of Learning
- Financial and Human Resources Invested In Education
- Access to Education Participation and Progression
- The Learning Environment and Organisation of Schools
Click here to read the report and to find out how Canada fares.
“Better primary schooling leads to a more robust democracy”
Fabrice Murtin, an OECD economist in Paris, and Romain Wacziarg, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, compared 74 countries’ democracy scores from 1870 to 2000 with their educational attainment. The study found that primary education had a far greater Impact on participating in democracies than did income. The authors suggest that primary schooling leads to higher literacy amongst populations and that literacy is one of the keys to political participation. Read more in the Globe and Mail.
Several schools opt out of WiFi to protect children’s health
Last spring, the Saanich School Board banned WiFi in all public elementary schools, now a private elementary school south of Prince George is following suite. The move to ban WiFi comes as reported cases of nausea, faintness, headaches and cardiac arrests among children, are on the rise. To find out more about WiFi and children’s health visit Safe Schools.
Climate Change Vulnerability Index shows cities and countries most at risk
A map generated by the risk-assessment risk analysis and mapping company Maplecroft, looks at 193 countries and highlights those that will be worst off due to climate change. The index takes into account the following factors: population concentration, development, natural resources, agricultural dependency and conflict. Principal environmental analyst at Maplecroft, Charlie Beldon says the impacts on cities — where infrastructures are already struggling to cope — could have far-reaching consequences for not just local people, but for businesses, national economies and international investors. Read more at CNN.
Find Maplecroft’s new Climate Change and Environmental Risk Atlas here.
Toronto passes bylaw banning shark fin
Toronto City Council just passed a bylaw banning the sale and use of shark fin. Ignoring the bylaw will result in a $5,000 fine for the first offence and up to $100,000 for a third offence. The ban is put in place in recognition of the perilous state the world’s shark population is in due to overfishing. Vancouver is currently considering a shark fin ban as well. Read more at the CBC.
New Brunswick on track to meet climate change goals
The province of New Brunswick set a target to have greenhouse gas emissions at 1990 levels by 2012. The province is on track to meet its climate change reduction goals, a remarkable accomplishment given the economic growth in the province. The province worked with citizens and encouraged partnerships to achieve this goal. Some highlights of the plan include:
- an investment of $4.5 million was made in energy auditing and implementation of energy efficiency measures in government operations, and the construction of smart metering systems for schools and hospitals;
- a computer model was initiated to track and report energy consumption and corresponding emissions by government departments, an essential step in managing government’s energy consumption and carbon footprint;
- the two-year biodiesel trials on 12 vehicles, including a school bus, grader, plow truck and light truck, were successfully completed. The trial found no barriers to using five per cent and 10 per cent biodiesel blended in petroleum diesel in the government fleet of vehicles, when it becomes commercially available. The project resulted in a reduction of 22 tonnes in emissions and a reduction of 8,600 litres of diesel fuel. Read more at the Province’s website.
Educators and elders fight to save Aboriginal languages
A Tyee series on Aboriginal education looks at the critical links between language and culture. With a steady decline in spoken aboriginal languages in BC, advocates and educators are looking for solutions. While elders are working hard to pass on their languages, fluent speakers are racing against time to teach the younger generations. Advocates are asking that the Canadian Constitution Act, which guarantees Francophones outside of Quebec have access to publicly funded French education, needs to be applied to the Aboriginal population as well. Read more in the Tyee.