Ontario Archives - Queen's Journal

New provincial legislation advocates for work-life balance

Written on November 2, 2021. Posted in News.

On Oct. 25, the Ontario government introduced “right-to-disconnect” to promote work-life balance, the first law of its kind in Canada. The proposed legislation would require workplaces with more than 25 employees to develop policies that allow workers to ‘unplug’ from their jobs outside of work hours,...

Independent MPP Randy Hillier uses student’s passing to spread misinformation

Written on October 29, 2021. Posted in News.

As Kamila Lebel-Farrell’s loved ones continued to adjust to her sudden passing, Randy Hillier, Member of Ontario Provincial Parliament (Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston), used student photos while spreading misinformation on the COVID-19 vaccine. In his post, Hillier included two other recently passed...

OCUFA responds to Post-secondary Education Health Measures Framework for Fall 2021

Written on September 1, 2021. Posted in News.

On Sep. 1, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Association (OCUFA) responded to the Postsecondary Education Health Measures Framework for Fall 2021. This framework will exempt a majority of postsecondary education institutions, including Ontario universities, from capacity limits and distancing...

Court dismisses Student Choice Initiative appeal

Written on August 4, 2021. Posted in News.

The Ontario Court of Appeal unanimously dismissed Ontario’s appeal to bring back the Student Choice Initiative (SCI) on Aug. 4. The SCI was introduced by the Ford provincial government in January 2019 to allow post-secondary students to opt out of previously mandatory ancillary fees deemed non-essential....

The fight for paid sick days continues through a pandemic. It shouldn’t.

Written on February 9, 2021. Posted in Columns.

In 2018, the newly-elected Ford government cancelled all mandatory paid sick days. Since then, health advocates and labour activists have been fighting to bring them back. In a global pandemic with a contagious virus, paid sick days are more vital than ever. Over the past several months, many groups...

Province gives Queen’s $4 million in capital funding

Written on November 23, 2020. Posted in News, University.

The Ontario government is giving Queen’s $4,251,800 in capital funding in 2020-21 to support the modernization of campus facilities. David Piccini, parliamentary assistant to the minister of colleges and universities and MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South, made the announcement in a press conference...

Let the sun set on Daylight Savings Time

Written on March 10, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

Daylight Savings Time (DST) has more drawbacks than benefits. It’s time we stick to keeping clocks the same year-round. Last Sunday, the Toronto Star’s Editorial Board stated its support for the end of DST—and The Journal’s Board agrees. In practice, switching the few clocks that don’t change...

The future of education in Ontario doesn’t lie in more cuts

Written on February 7, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

Ontario’s proposals to “modernize the classroom” won’t drive the province’s education system forward—they’ll see it pushed further into the past. In March of 2019, the Ford government released a plan for the Ontario education system that was shocking in the scale of its proposed cuts. The province...

Ontario government fails the province when it fails developmental services

Written on February 4, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

Programs for individuals with developmental disabilities have too long gone underfunded in Ontario. Now, facing cuts, these Ontarians are poised to lose even more of their limited funding. Developmental disabilities vary greatly, but are usually life long and affect everyday living. At their severest,...

Student Choice Initiative’s defeat doesn’t mean the fight is over

Written on November 29, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

The Student Choice Initiative (SCI) might have been struck down in court, but for student associations, the fight is far from over. Last week, when the Divisional Court of Ontario unanimously ruled in favour of repealing the Ford government-mandated initiative, student-led groups across the province...

On-campus abortion impacts equal access to education

Written on October 23, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

Providing medication abortion at universities goes beyond improving access to the procedure for affected students—it’s vital to improve access to education. California recently became the first state in the US to require public colleges to provide students with access to medication abortion on campus. Women...

Provincial policy change limits options for assault survivors

Written on September 12, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Journal uses “survivor” to refer to those who have experienced sexual assault. We acknowledge this term is not universal. The provincial government’s looming changes to its program to support sexual violence survivors...

Ontario law schools quietly considered challenging province on legal aid fee status

Written on September 4, 2019. Posted in News.

Ontario law schools quietly considered an effort to reverse the removal of legal aid clinic fees from the slate of mandatory student levies under the Student Choice Initiative, documents obtained by The Journal through a freedom of information request show. In an email dated March 5, Edward Iacobucci,...

Without academic accountability, universities suffer

Written on July 29, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

High schools in Ontario make a huge effort to prepare graduating students for post-secondary education, but there’s one thing they can’t prepare them for: the unregulated academics of Canadian universities. Public education in Ontario is governed by the Ministry of Education—each school is expected...

Queen’s ranks fourth for disclosures of non-consensual sexual violence in Ontario

Written on March 22, 2019. Posted in News.

This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Journal uses “survivor” to refer to those who have experienced sexual assault. We acknowledge this term is not universal. In a province-wide survey, 73,708 of 116,627 university students reported disclosing incidents...

Breed-specific legislation doles out careless, ineffective punishment

Written on March 8, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

Discrimination isn’t limited to the human species. The animals we interact with most—cats and dogs—are companion animals, yet within this group, not all are treated equally. In some countries, laws exist limiting or banning certain types of dogs, with pit bulls being disproportionately targeted...

Queen’s to lose $31.4 million in revenue following tuition cuts

Written on February 8, 2019. Posted in News, University.

Queen’s is developing their 2019-20 academic year budget—despite an expected $31.4 million drop in revenue. On Jan. 17, the provincial government announced impending tuition cuts, changes to OSAP, and the creation of the Student Choice Initiative. The provincial government has also pledged to lower...

Ontario addresses changes to OSAP

Written on January 25, 2019. Posted in News.

Minister Merrilee Fullerton is standing by the Province’s “historic reforms” to OSAP in response to a list of questions from The Journal. Fullerton wrote the changes are intended to refocus support to low-income families. “We are restoring accountability, affordability, and access to postsecondary...

Province to cut tuition costs by 10 per cent, nix free tuition

Written on January 18, 2019. Posted in News, University.

The province announced new changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP) on Thursday that—while proposing cuts to tuition—could see out-of-pocket student fees increase. In a press release, the Ontario government announced their pledge to reduce the costs of publically-assisted college and...

Midwives should be compensated and treated fairly

Written on September 28, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

Midwives’ unequal pay represents our refusal to fairly compensate women for their labour. In September, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO) ruled the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care must settle with the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) to correct the pay gap between midwives and...

Reversal of sex-ed curriculum a threat to public safety

Written on July 30, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

When partisan politics threaten health institutions, they threaten the wellbeing and safety of young people. Earlier this month, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government announced the interim replacement of the province’s 2015 modernized sex-ed curriculum with its outdated 1998 counterpart....

2018 provincial budget focuses on mental health, employment

Written on April 5, 2018. Posted in News.

On Mar. 28, the Ontario provincial government released their 2018 budget which focuses on healthcare, mental health, education and Indigenous issues. In January of this year, the provincial government invested $465 million into a medicare expansion. OHIP+: Children and Youth Pharmacare, covers...

Principal Daniel Woolf drops two spots on 2018’s Sunshine List

Written on April 5, 2018. Posted in News.

On Mar. 23, the Ontario government released 2018’s Sunshine List, revealing Ontario’s public employees who made more than $100,000 in 2017. Of the 3,860 Queen’s employees who made over $100,000, Principal Daniel Woolf dropped to fourth place with his wage of $386,629.92. In 2016 — when he was the...

Ontario e-registration voting tool targeted towards students

Written on October 5, 2017. Posted in News.

Ontario’s Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa believes voting in the province has taken a major step towards modernizing with the introduction of an e-registration system. The Ontario Election’s website has implemented an online registration process that incorporates five identity verification steps...

6,000 Kingston students receiving free tuition this year with new OSAP

Written on September 14, 2017. Posted in News.

This year more than 6,000 postsecondary students in Kingston received free tuition through new changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), according to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. The changes were implemented in February 2016, with Ontario Premier Kathleen...

Negotiating grades is the better argument

Written on September 12, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

With careful execution, a new grading system could help focus Ontario curriculums on learning and improvement rather than numerical grades. Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon, Ontario is altering their grading system for four grade nine subjects and allowing students to argue for the grade they...

Shared Perspectives publication summarizes progress in Canadian students’ mental health

Written on September 8, 2017. Posted in News.

On August 1, the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations released Shared Perspectives, a report that discusses recent advancements in student mental health services across the country. With input and information from student alliances from Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the joint...

Agnes honoured with three awards from OAAG

Written on January 13, 2017. Posted in Arts.

Recently, the Agnes Etherington Art Centre was recognized by the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG) with three awards that celebrate the outstanding work of art galleries in the province. The OAAG supports and encourages public art galleries province-wide, ensuring that excellent standards...

Ontario’s Indigenous Studies gap is bigger than post-secondary education

Written on September 30, 2016. Posted in Opinions.

Students aren’t learning enough about Indigenous studies, but neither are their teachers. To combat this knowledge gap, some Canadian universities, such as Lakehead and Winnipeg University, have implemented mandatory Indigenous credits for all students. This will help to educate post-secondary students,...

Tuition rates rising rapidly as tuition cap nears expiry

Written on September 27, 2016. Posted in News.

Canadian tuition costs continue to rise, according to a recent Statistics Canada (StatsCan) report. In Ontario, they’re rising faster — with Queen’s well above the national averages — and the province’s tuition cap has nearly expired. On Sept. 7, StatsCan released a report detailing increases in...

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