Black-focused schools


A proposal to create Canada’s first black-focused public school was approved by Toronto District School Board trustees Tuesday night. They have recommended the creation of an alternative school that features a curriculum and teaching environment oriented around black history and culture. The vote took place after an evening debate on the controversial proposal, which critics believe is a plan for segregation, while supporters believe it could keep more black students in school. Trustees heard from a number of delegations including academics, parents, teachers and students. Some parents have said they want to try something new because the current system isn’t working. As many as 40 per cent of black students don’t graduate from Toronto high schools. Do you think Africentric schools are the right approach? What’s your view?

School Safety
A report into violence in Toronto’s schools recommends using gun-sniffing dogs to root out one of the problems facing the city’s education system. The School Community Safety Advisory Panel’s 1,000 page report says Toronto’s school system has become a place where violent incidents go unreported, where there is fear among both students and staff. The report says a “culture of fear, or culture of silence, permeates through every level of the TDSB (Toronto District School Board).” The advisory panel, headed by lawyer Julian Falconer, was put together by the TDSB following the shooting death of 15-year-old Jordan Manners in a hallway of C.W. Jeffreys Collegiate Institute in May 2007. The report will outline large numbers of violent incidents in Toronto’s schools, involving guns and knives, as well as physical and sexual assaults. And according to Falconer, the incidents were not limited to the city’s northwest, where Manners was killed. “In other words, the problem is city-wide,” Falconer said in an interview with CBC News. Although the report makes more than 100 recommendations to improve safety inside the schools, one recommendation in particular has been given special notice: the panel wants the TDSB to buy and use gun-sniffing dogs to examine lockers and “other nooks and crannies” where firearms might be hidden. “It hardly will remove guns from schools, in large numbers,” Falconer said, “but what it ensures is that the board engages in some element of due diligence to protect our youth.” What’s your view? Is the report accurate? Is there a climate of fear in Toronto’s schools?

Toronto Maple Leafs – what would you do?
The Toronto Maples Leafs dropped their fifth straight game on Saturday, fueling speculation that the departure of coach Paul Maurice or general manager John Ferguson may be imminent. The 3-2 loss in San Jose means the Leafs have now dropped 11 of their past 13 and all three games on their West Coast road trip where they were outscored by a margin of 14-4. The Leafs now stand just four points above the bottom-dwelling Los Angeles Kings in the 30-team league. “They played their guts out – three games in four nights,” Leafs head coach Paul Maurice said after the San Jose game. “With all the stuff they’re dealing with and the weight that’s hanging on them, they came out and played hard. “They deserved a better fate.” The loss comes as legendary coach Scotty Bowman told CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada he discussed a possible senior adviser’s job with the team until September, before Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie called off the talks. The Leafs made the unusual announcement in the off-season that they were seeking someone to oversee embattled general manager John Ferguson. Speculation was that Bowman, a paid consultant to the Detroit Red Wings, was the team’s first choice. But the talks never progressed to the point of a formal offer, and Bowman said he wished to return to the Red Wings, making it appear to some as if he’d walked away from the Leafs. Ferguson was rumoured to be close to getting his walking papers in late November, when Peddie said in a published report that he made ‘a mistake’ in hiring the first-time GM. Toronto, though, briefly turned its fortunes around and no changes were made. Bowman – winner of a record nine Stanley Cup championships as a head coach with Montreal (1973, ’76, ’77, ’78, and 79), Pittsburgh (1992) and Detroit (1997, 1998, and 2002) – was noncommittal Saturday when asked if he’d still be interested if the Leafs came calling again. “That’s a pretty tough question to answer right now,” he said. “It’d be awfully tough to leave Detroit. “We’ll cross that bridge if it ever came to that, though.” What’s your view? What should the Leafs do to turn the team around?

Plastic Bags
Premier Dalton McGuinty says Ontario should seriously consider following the example set by Nova Scotia and ban the province’s liquor stores from handing out plastic bags that environmental activists are calling some of the worst in circulation. The Manitoba government announced in March that it had stopped replacing its liquor stores’ supplies of plastic bags, leaving customers with a choice of paper or reusable polypropylene bags. Ontario should look at doing the same thing, McGuinty said Wednesday. “I think we should give that some real consideration,” said McGuinty, adding the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) is already trying to be more environmentally responsible with its bottle-return program. “We’re proud of the leadership that the LCBO has shown and working with us in terms of our bottle-return policy. I believe they do issue some kind of canvas bags at this point in time. It’s something that obviously we should take a look at.” What’s your view? Do you think Ontario should take the step and ban plastic bags from the LCBO? How about an outright ban on plastic bags right across the province?

TTC strike deadline
The union representing almost 9,000 TTC workers has set a strike deadline for Monday morning. Bob Kinnear, president of the union, says talks will continue but unless there’s a deal on the table by 4 p.m. on Sunday, the wheels will be put in motion to shut down public transit in the city in time for the Monday morning rush hour. “We haven’t taken this decision lightly,” union leader Bob Kinnear said at a news conference on Thursday morning, “but, we also cannot continue to subsidize this transit system …” The main obstacle from the union’s perspective is wages and benefits. “We have a substandard benefit package in comparison to, not only city of Toronto workers, but other transit systems within the GTA,” said Kinnear. “There is still time for the mayor to stop this action – everybody knows the mayor calls the shots when it comes to the TTC settlement. He did so in 2005 and he will do so again in 2008.” The TTC carries more than 1.5 million passengers every weekday. In anticipation of a strike, those transit users will now have to make alternate plans for Monday morning’s commute. What’s your view? How do you view the strike? Have you made alternate plans?

Battery Recycling
The city of Toronto is considering a proposal that will provide an incentive to recycle batteries, light bulbs and paint cans. Right now, the city says, only nine percent of batteries are ever recycled. Most end up in the garbage. The plan calls for a deposit fee on batteries, compact fluorescent bulbs and paint cans. Consumers would be able to take the old items to recycling depots and get their deposit back. Environmental groups like the idea, hoping the new deposit-fee program could have an impact on reducing the number of toxic materials in landfills. How do you feel about the plan? Do you want to pay another deposit? Will you take the time and trouble to recover the deposit? What’s your view?

A better ‘Better Way’
The TTC has announced $21 million in service improvements, consisting mostly of added bus service on some of the city’s busiest bus routes. Starting Feb. 18, the TTC will have 30 new buses on the street during the morning rush hour – 40 during the afternoon peak – and over the next year the commission is promising 500 new buses and 400 new drivers to help ease Toronto’s transit crunch. “The new, improved service will result in less crowded vehicles and more convenience to our customers at all times of the week,” said TTC chair Adam Giambrone. “These increases are just the first in many that will be made this year.” What’s your view? Will the service improvements make any difference to your commute? Are you tempted to leave our car at home and take The Better Way?

Too much homework?
Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne says all school boards should review their homework policy to ensure kids aren’t being overloaded. Toronto’s public school board is looking at setting stricter rules around homework, including removing penalties for late work and not assigning work on holidays. Wynne says those suggestions sound reasonable but she says it’s up to local school boards to set their homework policies. “I’ve always said that boards need to review their homework policy. I think it’s a really good thing that the TDSB [Toronto District School Board] is looking at their homework policy and I think that some of the suggestions sound pretty reasonable to me,” Wynne told reporters at Queen’s Park . What’s your view? Are kids saddled with too much homework? Should they get a break during the holidays? Let us know.