"Citizens for a Nuclear-Free Society" is a local (Regina) grass-roots group
which is working towards urgently needed changes in our provincial
government's policies and plans as regards the uranium industry. We firmly
believe that the government must abandon proposed plans for nuclear
expansion that have been in the works for some years now. With the recent
change in the provincial government, there is already talk of building a
nuclear reactor in the northern part of the province, as well as possibly
fuelling the Alberta Tar Sands oil extraction project, an environmental
disaster in its own right.
Open Letter to University of Regina President Jim Tomkins
Contributed by Billy Patterson
Sunday, 09 December 2007
Dear Dr. Tomkins, Thank you for meeting with us before the student rally last week on Thursday November 29, 2007. We know that your scheduele was exteremely busy (with all that was going on with the strike), and we appreciate you taking time from you day to hear how student's are feeling their education had been compromised as a result of the strike.
Although the march was originally intended to be a neutral one, many
students and faculty demonstrated on the side of the CUPE workers.
After much research and discussion on the topic, we chose to
collectively support CUPE, because they were making a ceded effort to
come back and restore quality services for the students.
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Chicago’s public school board has created an entire website dedicated to promoting small schools, called Small Schools Get Results. Why? Because according to this research report, small schools rate higher on everything from parental involvement to academic scores.Write Comment (0 Comments)
Hard Evidence that Police Provoked Violence at Montebello Demo
Contributed by Berlynn
Friday, 07 December 2007
Paul Manley and the Nanaimo branch of the Council of Canadians video calls for a federal public inquiry into the Montebello demonstration of August 20, 2007.The SPP in Quebec acted in contravention of the Charter on several counts, according to this video from the Council of Canadians (Nanaimo) and Manley films.
45 Local Governments Go to Bali to Work on Bali Roadmap
Contributed by Jim Elliott
Monday, 03 December 2007
In the coming week, 45 Local Governments that are part of ICLEI (International Council for Local Environmental Initiaties) will be travelling to Bali to attend the United Nations xClimate Change conference. They will be meeting government leaders from around the world in hopes to influence the end result of the two week meeting. As official intergovernmental observers, these representatives will have the opportunity to meet with delegatesand discuss opportunities for more effective local government engagement.
Striking workers at both the University of
Saskatchewan and University of Regina will be back at work on Monday
after both sides agreed to refer the outstanding issues in the contract
dispute to binding arbitration. The agreement was reached this afternoon with the assistance of
provincial conciliator Doug Forseth. The two sides met for 14 hours
yesterday and returned to the conciliation table at 9 a.m. today. It's not the resolution we wanted, but the government's threat of
back-to-work legislation meant 'arbitration' was the only topic of
discussion at the conciliation table," says CUPE 1975 bargaining chair
Brad McKaig. "Since both employers appeared to prefer legislation to
negotiation, it had a huge influence on what we could achieve at the
table."
SCIC is currently accepting nominations for the Saskatchewan Global
Citizens Awards. These awards, presented by SCIC for more than 15
years, are meant to honour the people in our communities who (in true
Saskatchewan spirit) have made exceptional contributions to global
cooperation, peace and justice. If you know someone who deserves such
an award, please click here
for a nomination form. Global Citizens (and their nominators)
participate in awards banquets and media events during International
Development Week (February 2 to 8 2008). There is also a special award
category for global educators. The nomination deadline is December 17.
Fax your nomination form to 757-3226 or e-mail information to
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The Future of Regina's Schools: A critical assessment and some alternative policy recommendations
Written by J.F. Conway, Trustee, Subdivision 5, Regina Public Schools
Friday, 30 November 2007
A Critical Assessment of Leithwood and Jantzi’s “Review of Empirical Evidence about School Size Effects: A Policy Perspective” (Consultants’ Report for the Regina Public School Board, August 2007) and Some Alternative Policy Recommendations
by J. F. Conway, Trustee, Subdivision 5, Regina Public Schools, and Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology and Social Studies, University of Regina, November, 2007
Introduction
As part of the system renewal process, the Board contracted the services of a qualified consultant to provide a review of the research on “best practices” with regard to school size. This was considered prudent given the growing body of evidence accumulated over the past two decades indicating that small schools, at both the elementary and high school levels, are much more effective than large schools. An awareness of such evidence will assist the Board in making wise school closure decisions. The consultant was asked to review the evidence available about the effects of school size along a number of dimensions, including academic achievement, social and psychological impacts, community integration, impacts on “at risk” children and “at risk” neighbourhoods, effects on extra-curricular participation, and consequences for teacher effectiveness and satisfaction.
A Critique of the Linnen Report on Phase 2 Consultations
Written by J.F. Conway, Trustee, Subdivision 5
Friday, 30 November 2007
(HJ Linnen Associates. 2007. Renewing Regina Public Schools: Report on Phase 2 Consultations. Regina: HJ Linnen Associates, 13 June 2007.) This critique was originally published in the September/October, 2007 edition of the Village Voice.
HJ Linnen Associates’ Phase 2 Consultation Report on the renewal process underway in Regina Public Schools was released to the public in June 2007. An estimated 1000 people attended 57 information meetings where members of the senior administrative team laid out the options and issues. Neither Mr. Linnen nor the elected Trustees played a role in these meetings.
Under the title ‘Renewing Regina Public Schools,’ the Regina Public School Board has come forward with a plan to close 12 elementary schools and two highschools over the next 10 years. In case you should think that’s a bad thing, here are a few bon mots from their report:
“The Renewal Plan emphasizes a commitment to choice.”
“Choice within the Plan includes…opportunities for all younger siblings to benefit from the choice a family makes following a school merger, subject to two-year reviews.”
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