Opening Statement



Friday 19 October 2012

Ontario Teachers' Weekend News + Views

OCT 27 NEWS LINKS? SEE NEXT BLOG................

Welcome to the weekend! Today's blog continues where "Life After McGuinty" ends, on Oct 19th. I will keep updating the news links and commentary here on a regular basis over the weekend.



October 20, 2012

Thank God 4 Sundays! Last night we entertained friends until after midnight laughing, listening to tunes and watching summer photos on our apple t.v. Now here I sit in the music room with my morning coffee. Janet is going out with her sister + girlfriends today. I figure I''ll just go for a walk in the Humber Ravine, enjoy a pleasant stroll, see the leaves changing colour and relax. We live in Toronto, but once down in  the ravine one might as well be far out in the countryside. There's a winding stream, forests, fields, even a lake. There are wild deer. I can see the odd skyscraper poking out above the treetops, almost surreal. The best of both worlds, urban and rural. I'll take some photos. Here's to hoping you get some much needed down time as well!



Liberal Leadership Race details for weekend of Jan. 25 released! See: http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ontario-liberals-to-hold-leadership-convention-in-late-january-1.1004586

NDP leader Andrea Horwath tells McGuinty to recall legislature and let the minority government work, rather than leave all the province's business in limbo. You can run Mr. McGuinty, but you cannot hide! Hasta la vista baby! Etc.etc etc etc..........See: http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1274281--dalton-mcguinty-should-recall-the-legislature

The long + winding road of the McGuinty years, was a  fairly steady + competent management trail until the wheels fell off the liberal box cart, we rolled to a dead end stop, and McGuinty ran away. Or something like that. See: http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/1274904--cohn-mcguinty-resignation-is-a-mismanaged-retreat


Shocking news? McGuinty had a dual approach to holding power!  The public Premier Dad + the private Premier McGuinty the calculating politician were two different guys......C'mon now! Love a leader or hate them, the public/ private nice guy/ bad guy or nice girl/ bad girl dicotomy is how it works in government office. How do you think the leader claws their way up to become top dog in the first place? Adam Radwanski seems to be grasping at news straws when he annouces; "McGuinty was never the boyscout he appeared in public" although he was a "nice man" who was "strongly committed to public service" in his Star article, "The McGuinty We Never Knew". ZZZZZ! On the otherhand, Adam is more insightful when he claims that McGuinty tired of playing minority government premier after two back to back majority wins. As a parting gesture he didn't want Bentley to take the bullet in the political dickering over the gas plant issue, so he prorogued the legislature. Of course the prorogation is alot more complicated then that, as is Dalton....but anyway, read + think it over 4 yourself. Maybe I'm too critical. See: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/the-mcguinty-we-never-knew/article4626024/

The Toronto Sun's Lorrie Goldstein sharpens his neo right cutting knives in "Dalton Does Canada." Get use to his yuck yuck wisecracks about unions. They go back to the Harris years. Regardless of how you feel about Dalton, this con smells leftie blood and like the Sun he's ready 4 more. Know thy enemy. See: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/10/19/dalton-does-canada

Yasir Naqvi declines Ontario Liberal leadership run. See: http://bulldogcanadian.com/naqvi-shows-maturity-in-declining-to-join-leadership-race/#more-687

Read the Toronto Star account too, for more details. By the way, the weekend of Jan 25th has just been confirmed for the convention. Naqvi article athttp://m.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1274957--dalton-mcguinty-mpp-abandons-liberal-leadership-bid

BTW: Watch for Kathleen Wynne to throw her hat in the leadership ring this week!

Just call him "Linc", not ummmm, "Alex". There will be two days to pay your respects to ex Lt. Governor Lincoln Alexander at Queen's Park, followed by a state funeral. For more details see: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1274875--lincoln-alexander-to-lie-in-state-at-ontario-legislature?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

Canadian Catholics celebrate canonization of the first North American aboriginal saint. See: http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Kateri+Tekakwitha+becomes+North+Americas+first+aboriginal+saint/7423384/story.html

British Columbia teacher injured during fun lunch time teacher + student baseball game. Compensation denied! WSIB says not job related. Board says he is Social Science not a gym teacher so he shouldn't have been playing baseball with the students. Sad but true! BC Teachers Federation considering ramifications. Could be far reaching! See: http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Board+rejects+claim/7421344/story.html

You think we got it bad as teachers in Ontario these days?!? Okay but be darn glad we don't teach in the United States. With all respect 4 my US readers, it's a complete horror show how they talk about and treat teachers south of the border. Totally rabid! Even Obama's education policies are to the far right of Hudak, and he's the US equivalent of one of our Liberals. American colleagues! Hop on a dingie! Sail across Lake Ontario, Erie, Superior, wherever! You can be a boat person! We will let you live here! Fellow Canucks: read and shudder! See: http://teacherpoetmusicianglenbrown.blogspot.ca/2012/10/the-exhaustion-of-american-teacher-by.html?spref=tw


Canadian union thuggery:"Mr. McGuinty! Recall the legislature or the monkey dies, eh?"

Just 4 a laugh when teacher times get tough. Huffington Post Canada's "funniest news corrections" at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/20/the-funniest-news-corrections_n_1992987.html?utm_hp_ref=canada&ir=Canada

Off 4 my walk. More links coming. More below...........

October 19, 2012

Queens Park Highlights: A great overview of the past week: http://www.etfo.ca/publications/queensparkhighlights/pages/default.aspx

Last Angus Reid poll gives numbers on just about everything you'd care to know about in Ontario politics as of late. A fascinating read, but I would proceed with caution. Everything is in influx right now. Big time. See:
http://m.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1274619--mcguinty-resigns-poll-shows-ontarians-support-premier-s-resignation-oppose-legislature-s-prorogation

McGuinty's secret speech to the Building + Trades Council this week: Bill 115 will not be re-opened. Does this mean the teacher union heads won't be meeting with Laurel Broten next week as rumoured? The mood + outcome of the big secret "backdoor" labour meeting in his boardroom last weekend is highly contested too. McGuinty seems to think it's promising, but he might be pretty much alone in feeling so. He also said he would recall the legislature if a wage freeze deal can be reached. See: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1274627--dalton-mcguinty-would-call-back-legislature-for-vote-on-wage-freeze-deal

Education Minister Laurel Broten nixes idea of a local public + Catholic board merger during Owen Sound visit. Offer still stands for a meeting with ETFO +OSSTF presidents in her office next week.  She stands firm on Bill 115. Laurel met with the local presidents while teachers protested outside the new outdoor education centre. See: http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2012/10/19/broten-firm-on-bill-115-catholic-system


OFL Website calls prorogation "an affront to democracy". Let's make a deal? Obviously, labour is not impressed Mr. Guinty! See: http://ofl.ca/index.php/prorogationundemocratic/

School Edition blogsites "Red Hot Web Link" of the week? The NDP's "Get MPP's Back to Work"! For a lively and pointed read visit: https://www.facebook.com/MPPsBackToWork

This month's "James Ryan OECTA Presidential Bid" blog ranks 6th among the 192 blogs I have posted to date. http://tsu3rdvp.blogspot.ca/2012/10/james-ryans-oecta-presidential-bid.html

What came first the chicken or the egg? Dalton's resignation or the legislatures prorogation?
See: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1274389--dalton-mcguinty-s-rationale-for-shuttering-legislature-makes-no-sense-walkom#.UIG7dbDV9Fg.twitter

Hundreds of ETFO, OSSTF + CUPE members protest outside MPP Eric Hoskin's office. Not very good optics for any Lib with illusions of becoming party leader. Nope. See: https://twitter.com/Leslie_Wolfe/status/259410650554589185/photo/1


You want to what?!?

A Catholic school funding challenge goes to court. IMHO the OECTA MOU only served to inflame anger over the Catholic schools issue. Nothing like royally p.o 'ing almost every other teacher's union in the province to do that! However, all 3 parties have told OECTA they are committed to Catholic school funding plus we are dealing with constitutional law here. Let's see what happens. Read: http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/connectedcity/assignment/article/231733

Neil Crone's Durham Region Column debunks the false belief teaching is easy and a free ride. See: http://www.durhamregion.com/opinion/columns/article/1517788--teaching-isn-t-the-sweet-gig-many-think-it-is

NDP leader Andrea Horwath's statement on the passing of Lt. Governor Lincoln Alexander. See: http://ontariondp.com/en/statement-by-andrea-horwath-on-the-passing-of-lincoln-alexander


Education Minister Laurel Broten still doesn't look very happy. OSSTF + ETFO  Presidential bad boys Coran + Hammond called to her office next week. Whew! The strap was banned wasn't it??!?! ;-)

Bonus politico skill testing question:

Can you spot the 7 possible leadership hopefuls in this photo of McGuinty on his last day in the legislature as our premier? See: 




More below in "Life After McGuinty" blog.................

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