I wrote the following article in 2011. It demonstrates how little has changed. On the day George Abbott became the first Education Minister to speak at a convention of the teachers’ union […]
Next we sell off naming rights for schools – REPLAY
This article first published September 2011 remains timely. Private business promoters aim to eliminate public enterprises through privatization, contracting out and outsourcing. They promote the myth that delivery of services by private, often […]
Government serves insiders and elites
Plutocrats It is clear that BC Liberal strategy is to reward insiders and elites. That’s been shown in countless ways, particularly since Christy Clark took office as Premier in 2011. Shortly after […]
Planned degradation of public education
Principal reports on devastating budget cuts to parent population. Such honesty needed for all of BC. #bced #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/aYeROVmdPh — Karen Richard (@KarenRichard14) September 10, 2014 The first comment here reminded me […]
UBC Professor of Law Joel Bakan speaks
“I see a lot of sense in the BCTF’s insistence on eliminating E80 from the package for consideration in binding arbitration… “As is true of any negotiation, the respective bargaining positions of […]
Dignity not in anti-union Liberal playbook
Recognizing that workers have the right to bargain collectively as part of their freedom to associate reaffirms the values of dignity, personal autonomy, equality and democracy that are inherent in the Charter. […]
Qu’ils mangent de la brioche
Yeah, folks. If you’re inconvenienced and frustrated by empty public schools, Premier Photo Op may have a solution. She tried it, she likes it. And if you can’t afford the tuition, do […]
Investment decisions: industry or education?
Education and Economic Growth, by Philip Stevens and Martin Weale, Education and Economic Growth, Philip Stevens and Martin Weale, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, London, England. “There are two very […]
Megan Metcalfe speaks
From a Facebook post. You can read the entire item HERE. “I sent a letter to Christie Clark’s office, Peter Fassbender’s office, and my MLA about two weeks ago. I got a […]
Unfairness, unfairly applied
Christy Clark claimed teachers are greedy and that BC cannot afford to pay more for public education. Liberal social media retainers continue echoing the claims. We know that labour relations in BC […]
Clark Government earns failing grades
“Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.” ― Jacques Barzun Successful nations that intend to maintain economic and social powers have high regard for […]
Conflict of interest. Wazzat?
When football coach Jerry Sandusky recruited, groomed and molested boys, he continued for years because people around him stayed quiet. In 2009, Sara Ganim, then a 22-year-old writer for a small newspaper, […]
Numbed by numbers
I’ll be talking with Ian Jessop, Monday June 9, on CFAX1070. While the BC Government lays seige to public education, it seems a good time to see if all the cupboards are […]
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose
A reader reminded me of this piece from March, 2012. Unfortunately, it seem to be relevant today. I grew up informed and amused by Vancouver’s great editorial cartoonists Len Norris and Roy […]
Austerity is limited
School districts are forced to economize and they’ve done it in many ways. However, despite squeezing operating budgets so hard that supplies of classroom paper run out, certain costs are sticky downward. […]
My opportunity to say thanks
A few educators are on the list of unforgettable characters encountered in my youth but none stand ahead of Frank Gumley, my home room teacher in grades eight and nine. This week, […]
A weapon to change the world
Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well. ― Aristotle This week the […]
Things that still make you go "Hmmm"
This is a replay of a piece from last spring. It fits today’s subject since it demonstrates that BC’s most senior public officias aren’t playing catch-up. Washington State schools enrol just over […]
Politics over education of children
B.C. spends $1.7M on ads in teachers’ dispute, CTV BC, June 14, 2012 “The B.C. government’s ad campaign defending their position in the teachers’ dispute has cost more than $1.7 million, leaving […]
Morton’s Fork, Alberta
In the politics of Alberta, Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg vision has been bastardized to become “government of business, by business, for business.” April 23, voters can re-elect a tired, incompetent and corrupt Conservative […]

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