New Sex Ed Curriculum for Ontario Schools

Hard to believe almost a month has gone by since I last posted. What a month - a record breaker here - the coldest February in many years! You would think that with being stuck inside I would have written up a storm but no. It took the topic of sex ed to get me writing again. My letter to the editor appeared in today's Ottawa Citizen.

"There are all kinds of interesting discussions going on this week, about the new sex ed curriculum being introduced by the Ontario government. From the little that I have heard, I think that the new curriculum will be of much benefit to students and their families. A few of the callers I heard on radio today were upset that their kids would be exposed to facts too early but the sad fact is that children and adults, all of us, are surrounded by sexual images and expressions every day.While many parents are no doubt doing a terrific job of educating their children on sexual matters, I think I speak for many parents when I say that parents can use some help from schools to keep up with the changing times. If parents are able to follow along with accompanying textbooks, this could lead to very worthwhile dialogue and reinforcement of lessons at home. 

For those who believe their kids are too young, I offer a few t shirt slogans. Recently, while visiting at a local school, I saw a four year old wearing  a shirt that read, "Lock up your daughters" . A very young looking grade 7 student was wearing a shirt that simply read, "Stud". I do not think that either student understood the meaning of the slogan that they were displaying for all the school to see. I think it's a shame that their parents thought those slogans were appropriate for their children. Yes, sexual expressions and ideas are all around us. Better for kids to receive accurate information from a well researched, province-wide curriculum, rather than pick up their attitudes from T shirts, TV and the internet."

Harperland…without John Baird

Whoa!!! Now, that was a surprise! John Baird's resignation from politics has rocked, not only Ottawa but the whole country, as we head into an election year.

For Harper's opponents  this can only be seen as good news. A major Conservative player is gone. Years ago, I could name many of the federal cabinet ministers. Back then, Prime Ministers let their cabinet colleagues  speak for their departments. Cabinet ministers were well known characters. However, under Harper, most of the cabinet has remained tightly controlled. There have only been a few who have been granted permission to speak and Baird was one of them.

I have always found John Baird extremely unlikeable. His rude style was nothing like most parliamentarians  He has often been referred to as an attack dog, a pit bull. Who would want that reputation? On most news sites there are only the bare bones of his resignation speech in the House of Commons. However, here is how he started off: " I am overwhelmingly optimistic about the future of this country.  I am optimistic because over the past nine years I have seen the stature of this country grow in the eyes of the world…In short, the world has seen the best that Canada has to offer."

Excuse me? Many Canadians would beg to disagree.  The world has not seen the best of Canada. Canada had a much better reputation in many areas (the environment for one) before Harper and Baird took control. Many people I talk to are extremely saddened by the backward steps Canada has taken under Harper. Baird went to say,"When I joined my good friend Mike Harris" Yikes! Who even mentions that name anymore? He may be the most reviled name in Ontario politics. 

Baird's goodbye gift? Well, in ten years time he'll start receiving a tidy little souvenir of his time in Parliament. As the CBC site points out, "By not running in 2015, Baird also qualifies for his pension, under an old rule, at age 55. Parliament increased the qualifying age to 65 years old but that policy only covers those who are elected or re-elected in 2015."