warrior

Friday January 19, 2018

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 19, 2018

Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals may surprise in upcoming provincial vote

Kathleen Wynne will shuffle her cabinet on Wednesday, six months ahead of the next provincial election. It didn’t take long for the jokes to start after the news broke on Tuesday night. Rats from sinking ship was a common theme.

November 28, 2017

One wise guy on Twitter simply responded to the news of the shuffle by tweeting out a video clip from James Cameron’s Titanic. What particular scene? The band stoically playing on as the ship slides beneath the waves.

She’s smart and shrewd and connects well with people, particularly in small settings.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath is quite good too, and the Conservative leader, Patrick Brown, though still to some measure unknown, certainly seems to hold his own. But Wynne, at the very least, will not be at a material disadvantage here. She will surprise people.

And then there’s the goodies. Lower hydro rates. A higher minimum wage, with a politically helpful spat with some rich Tim Hortons heirs thrown in, might impress  some middle- and lower-income voters the Liberals urgently need aboard. And the so-called OHIP+ plan, essentially universal pharmacare for young Ontarians, might not be the whole smash pharmacare advocates would want, but it’s a big step in that direction. And Lord only knows what else they’ll roll out in the months to come.

October 24, 2017

None of this will erase their record over the last 15 years. There is a lot of anger out there against this government, much of it deserved, but the fact remains that the party and the Premier will be in a decent place to contest the next election.

Whatever problems the Liberals have going into this campaign, someone still needs to beat them at the ballot box. The parties can’t all lose, someone needs to win. The Liberals are getting to set to do that, and the NDP and Conservatives are going to need to fight back. (Source: Global News) 

SaveSave

SaveSave

Wednesday May 6, 2015

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Wednesday May 6, 2015 Ontario elementary teachers plan job action Monday OntarioÕs 73,000 public elementary teachers will begin job action on Monday, when they are in a legal strike position. While a strike is not anticipated Ñ local union districts have been given details about a work-to-rule Ñ it remains one of the options available, says Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary TeachersÕ Federation of Ontario. In a statement released Tuesday morning, ETFO said its members would be taking unspecified Òcentral strike actionÓ in 32 school boards across the province Monday. According to an ETFO bulletin obtained by the Star, titled ÒStrike Protocol: Work-to-Rule Ñ Phase 1,Ó and sent out to its Toronto members late Monday night, teachers will not take part in any EQAO (standardized testing), write report cards, fill in for absent principals or Òconduct any reading, writing or mathematics assessments other than those that the teacher deems necessary to report on student progress.Ó Hammond has told the Star that the recent offer on the table from the government and the school boardsÕ association was ÒoffensiveÓ and contained concessions the union would not consider. He said if the concessions remained, the union would be Òlooking at all the options.Ó ÒWe are hoping on, or prior to, May 10 that we get substantial movement at the table and we wonÕt have to move in a direction nobody wants to move in,Ó he has previously said. While talks have continued with the help of a mediator, they recently broke off. A union spokesperson said Monday that ÒETFO is eagerly awaiting a call from the government that it, and the Ontario Public School BoardsÕ Association, are ready to engage in meaningful and substantive bargaining.Ó ETFO is the countryÕs largest teacher union. A strike or job action would affect more than 817,000 elementary school students across the province. (Source: Toronto Star) http://www.thestar.co

Editorial cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 6, 2015

Ontario elementary teachers plan job action Monday

Ontario’s 73,000 public elementary teachers will begin job action on Monday, when they are in a legal strike position.

While a strike is not anticipated — local union districts have been given details about a work-to-rule — it remains one of the options available, says Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario.

In a statement released Tuesday morning, ETFO said its members would be taking unspecified “central strike action” in 32 school boards across the province Monday.

According to an ETFO bulletin obtained by the Star, titled “Strike Protocol: Work-to-Rule — Phase 1,” and sent out to its Toronto members late Monday night, teachers will not take part in any EQAO (standardized testing), write report cards, fill in for absent principals or “conduct any reading, writing or mathematics assessments other than those that the teacher deems necessary to report on student progress.”

Hammond has told the Star that the recent offer on the table from the government and the school boards’ association was “offensive” and contained concessions the union would not consider.

He said if the concessions remained, the union would be “looking at all the options.”

“We are hoping on, or prior to, May 10 that we get substantial movement at the table and we won’t have to move in a direction nobody wants to move in,” he has previously said.

While talks have continued with the help of a mediator, they recently broke off. A union spokesperson said Monday that “ETFO is eagerly awaiting a call from the government that it, and the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, are ready to engage in meaningful and substantive bargaining.”

ETFO is the country’s largest teacher union. A strike or job action would affect more than 817,000 elementary school students across the province. (Source: Toronto Star)