School is the basic foundation of knowledge being imparted to a child. It gives a chance to children to acquire knowledge on various fields of education, such as people, literature, history, mathematics, politics, and other numerous subjects. By obtaining knowledge, a person is in a better position to help other people. However, can education be much more important than our health, is the question we are facing right now. Ontario Ministry Of Education has announced that schools will be reopening. A 50 million dollar budget has been announced to be given to schools for proper ventilation systems and safety gears. In just 3 weeks, so much more has to be done but we do not know where things will lead us. The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) is going back to the drawing board after their plan to shrink elementary class sizes was rejected by the Ontario Ministry of Education. “We thought we were close … with that plan,” said Alexander Brown, TDSB Trustee for Ward 12, Willowdale. “We’re getting closer and closer [to the start of the school year], and we still don’t have a plan.”Last month, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced the province’s back-to-school plan which has elementary-level students set to return on a full-time basis. Students in those grades would also remain a single cohort for the entire five days of the week — in classrooms, and during recess and lunch — and school boards would provide the full curriculum.As for class sizes, those would remain at the mandated maximum levels set in place before the COVID-19 outbreak leaving many parents, teachers, and other education staff concerned. They have been calling on the government to lower the number of students in each classroom to help limit the number of contacts students and teachers are exposed to. Nobody wants their kids to go back to an unsafe environment,” said Brown. “We know that is where parents are most concerned. We heard that loud and clear.”Alexander Brown, TDSB Trustee for Ward 12, Willowdale. (TDSB) The Willowdale trustee said TDSB was asked to develop options for returning students to classrooms in September, one of which accommodated smaller class sizes. Their proposed plan had 15 students per class for junior kindergarten to Grade 3, and 20 students per class for Grades 4 to 8. The model also shortened the regular 300-minute teaching day in order to accommodate the 48 minutes of preparation time teachers are given daily as per their union agreements.With the slightly shortened day, Brown says the board would’ve been able to pay for this plan using reserve money and their portion of the $30 million in funding the province has allotted for school staffing.However, in a memo to the board’s director of education, the ministry rejected the plan, expressing concerns over the shortened instructional day and its impacts on the curriculum and after school child-care programs. This means that children could be at risk of their own health, their own lives, at a place of education and learning. Teaching children the important protocols of distancing, wearing a mask and gloves is essential during this time. We must not give hope, there will be a change in our circumstances, and we are the ones who can make a change. #Let’s Bring A Change.
“Another Outbreak”
By now, all of us are aware of the severity of COVID- 19 and probably exhausted from the anxiety of it all. While I don’t want to add to the stress, CHEO is currently dealing with an outbreak of another virus, unrelated to COVID-19. Three children have contracted chicken pox. The outbreak began after one child contracted the virus in the community and was admitted to the hospital for other reasons, the children’s hospital in Ottawa said. The child then developed a rash. “Two other children were subsequently infected,” a news release from CHEO read. The common childhood illness typically includes red, spotty lesions over the body and a mild fever. Safety precautions are in place and the families of children who may have been exposed to the virus have been notified, the hospital said. Chickenpox is often most contagious one to two days before the rash develops and up to five days after the rash appears or until the lesions begin to crust over, according to Ottawa Public Health. The virus is often mild in children but more serious in pregnant women, adults who have never had the virus, or those with compromised immune systems. The hospital is reminding parents to vaccinate their children “for all preventable childhood infectious diseases”. This time is very critical, and we all need to stand together to fight against it. This time is not to fight, rather it is to be with one another, take consideration of all the essential protocols to fight against all the challenges that come near us. Keeping this in mind, we must comprehend that our health and safety lies in our hands. Ensuring that we wear a mask and gloves when going outside or when we are near a group of people is essential. Keeping at least a 2 meter distance is also very essential when we are near a group of people. We must not give hope, there will be a change in our circumstances, and we are the ones who can make a change. #Let’s Bring A Change.
“Health Is Wealth”- Use of Remdesivir
“Health is wealth”, a statement that really fits into the situation of today. Especially in today’s circumstances, nothing is supreme than what our health conditions are at the present moment. This pandemic is something that we wouldn’t have even imagined in our worst dreams, but today we are all fighting, together, to fight against it. In this ongoing fight, there have been many continuous efforts to find a vaccine in order to save as many lives as possible. However, as of yet, these efforts are still on going and a vaccine has yet not been found. Meanwhile, many countries including Canada, USA, Japan, Singapore and Australia have authorized the use of the drug: Remdesivir. Remdesivir is a drug that was once used in the 2010’s to treat Ebola. It didn’t have a strong effect on treating Ebola, but in current circumstances, many countries have high hopes on this drug to treat COVID- 19. The federal agency says the antiviral drug may be used to treat patients who have pneumonia and require extra oxygen to help them breathe.It’s the first drug Health Canada has authorized for the treatment of COVID-19. Health Canada approved its use in adults and adolescents. Remdesivir, which has been shown to shorten hospital stays, is administered intravenously and will be used only on patients that can be closely monitored.Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, said use of the drug requires close medical supervision.Some of the range of side effects could involve other organs such as the liver,” Tam said on Tuesday. Keeping this in mind, we must comprehend that our health and safety lies in our hands. Ensuring that we wear a mask and gloves when going outside or when we are near a group of people is essential. There is no fixed solution to this problem, but we must not give hope. Everything is possible, only if we believe it is possible. Therefore, now is the time to join hands and work together to fight against this pandemic. #Let’s Bring A Change!
Entering In To Stage 3, TOGETHER
With the province set to make an announcement on municipalities like Toronto joining the province in stage 3 of the re-opening, Mayor John Tory said he’s hopeful the province adopt “some” of the city’s recommendations like making masks mandatory for patrons and staff.But this comes with a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the government as well as on people. It is the government’s responsibility to arrange access to unlimited masks at a lower price so that everyone with all circumstances can afford to purchase a mask and use it when going outside. As for people, we must ensure that not only do we wear masks, gloves and all other safety gears, but we must also ensure that we do not take off our safety gears when it is specially needed or not take care of our diets and our health. “We do not want to go backwards and we do not want a catastrophic second wave of this virus,” said Mayor John Tory. “The last thing we want is for Toronto to re-open and then within a very short period of time, perhaps weeks, shut down again. The businesses cannot afford this, the governments cannot afford this and residents don’t want this. Therefore, our lives, our health and our future all lies in our hands. We are all in this together, so we must ensure that we all take our needed measures and fight against this pandemic. There have been mistakes made by the government, by the police department and by us, but now’s the time to join hands and fight this pandemic. #Let’s Bring A Change
Implementation For Education In September Amid the Pandemic
Scores of parents called on the Ontario government on Saturday to reopen schools for full-time classes this fall with safety measures in place amid the pandemic.At a rally at the Ontario legislature, parents said a regular school schedule is vital to health and well-being of children and important for an “equitable” economic recovery. Such a schedule means the students would be in class five days a week. However, I am not in favour of this kind of learning amid the pandemic. I believe in choosing a hybrid model of learning which includes the opportunity for parents and children to choose whether they prefer their children to do online learning or not, is a better option. Those who are not in favour of online learning such as working parents would then be able to send their children to school physically where it would be their risk in sending their children as well as their responsibility to make sure their children are well comprehended and are comfortable with the safety protocols. Currently there are much more concerning matters that need to be resolved, therefore, focusing on such an issue should not be our major concern. Rather our focus should be more towards how to implement both online and in class learning at the same time, as well as how to accommodate children in class with social distancing and safety gears . Funding for safety gears is another major issue that has arised due to how costly it is. Therefore, hybrid model learning is very suitable during this time, especially because of the government’s low budget issue. Safety gears for students doing online learning will not be needed. With only half or less of the population of children coming to school, it would be easier to provide all the safety gears easily and accessible to all students in class. It’s time for a change, it’s time to bring our focus to what matters, it’s time to do what is right. Therefore, we need to bring a change by sharing our voices, our thoughts and our ideas along with our strengths and uniqueness to make a better change. Time is moving and so shall our mindsets , our standards, and our ways towards the future.
#Let’sBringAChange
Racism Today
The cultural implications of globalization are such that now may be the time to look again at the question of racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia. At least 4 people of colour have died during police wellness checks in Canada since April. This raises questions about law enforcement’s ability to handle mental health crises, especially among people of colour. “We need to rethink who does wellness checks”, said Ingrid Waldron, which is exactly what I believe (reference to my blog about: “Police defunding motion headed to Toronto city council”). On June 4, Edmundston Police Force officers fatally shot 26-year-old Chantel Moore, an Indigenous woman originally from B.C., after they were called to conduct a wellness check. She was the first of two Indigenous people in New Brunswick to die at the hands of police in a span of eight days.The week before Moore’s death, Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a Black-Indigenous woman living in Toronto with Nova Scotia roots, died after falling from a high-rise balcony after her family called the police for help. Earlier in the spring, D’Andre Campbell, a 26-year-old Black man with schizophrenia, was shot dead on April 6 in Brampton, Ont., after calling Peel Regional Police himself for help.In mid June, 62-year-old Ejaz Ahmed Choudry was shot and killed by police in Mississauga, Ont., during a wellness check. He had schizophrenia. 461 deaths in Canada between 2000 and 2017 revealed 70 per cent of people who died during encounters with police suffered from mental health or substance abuse problems. It was also found that Black and Indigenous people were over-represented in these deaths.Police officers are not equipped to handle the wide and complex range of mental health issues that exist.In my opinion, the solution to this is not just to defund or take action against police officers rather it is more towards affiliating social services and health care workers to our police department. This will help maintain the law and order and all cases will be proceeded in the correct manner. Not only how the system is executed but the blame also goes to the standards our society put upon us that have led us to where we stand today. We all need to reconsider our thinking and our beliefs. We should stop being judgemental, keep aside each other’s differences and consider them as our strengths and our uniqueness. We must bring a change in ourselves to bring a change in society. Time is moving and so shall our mindsets , our standards, and our ways towards the future. #Let’sBringAChange
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Rideau Hall Incident
Racism, bullying and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies. But every day, each and every one of us can stand up against intolerant attitudes. But everything starts from awareness. With all the current events, petitions, and protests taking place, we are spreading awareness and trying to bring a change. However, are we doing enough, is it time to stop all of our work and actions against this unacceptable behaviour? Therefore, I want to bring your attention to a recent incident where Corey Hurren, a 46 year old , white man, who was charged with 22 criminal charges on Friday, a day after he allegedly drove a truck onto the official residence grounds and set out on foot toward the prime minister’s home.The “charges against Hurren includes several firearms-related offences. He is also accused of uttering or conveying a threat to “cause death or bodily harm” to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, according to court documents.In regards to this event, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said, “This person showed up with weapons, publicly, at the residence of the prime minister of Canada and was arrested without being killed. “This incident would have ended differently if the suspect had been a person of colour”. Mr. Singh drew comparisons to Ejaz Choudry, a 62-year-old man “who was fatally shot by police during a mental health crisis in his apartment in Mississauga, Ont”. Green Party MP and former leader Elizabeth May echoed Singh’s sentiments earlier in the day, drawing comparisons to the deaths of Choudry, Rodney Levi, Chantel Moore, D’Andre Campbell and Regis Korchinski-Paquet, who all died during interactions with police officers. “They were all killed during so-called wellness checks and they were all either Indigenous, Black or people of colour,” May said, while Hurren was arrested peacefully during what she called “a criminal act with the intention to kill”. This incident makes it evident that intolerance and racist attitudes run in our society and in our system. Why is it that people of colour, different cultures and backgrounds are treated with such severe intolerance whereas a man who is openly present with firearms is only arrested? This needs to be changed, we all need to have the same rights, the same restrictions and the same laws. This can only happen if we try to bring a change by using different platforms that we have on our fingertips to spread awareness and to show that intolerance and racism will not be accepted. Awareness can also be spread by words, it always doesn’t have to be destructive, so let’s stand together as a team, use our resources and our platforms to share our voices against racism, intolerance, mental health tabeau’s e.tc. We won’t let innocent lives be taken away, we will have to bring a change, by bringing a change in ourselves to bring a change in the society. Nothing is impossible, we can make it possible! #Let’sBringAChange
I love hearing your feedback and opinions. Therefore, please share your thoughts, ideas and your feedback and let’s work together to bring a change!
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Police defunding motion headed to Toronto city council
Activists, many Torontonians, and few councillors have put immense pressure on reducing Toronto police’s budget by 10 percent in 2021 and redirecting it to areas where needed. Over the past few decades, our police department has been given more and more responsibility while social services including mental health support have seen funding cuts”, said Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Toronto. Many believe that the role of the police department and its officers have not been implemented correctly and rather have been exploited. In regards to this, a petition was taken place, where it was later rejected. In my opinion, the cause of the current events we face today are due to the way our system executes itself. Part of this is the way police officers are the first respondents to mental health issues. Police officers are only trained to deal with cases involving crime. However, they are still the first ones to be addressed with cases involving mental health. With no training and no guidance as to how such delicate cases should be proceeded, lives of innocent people are taken away, such as that of the 29 year old woman and Ejaz Chaudoary, a 62 year old, Muslim man, who were both suffering from a mental illness. In my opinion the solution to this is not just to defund police officers rather it is more towards affiliating social services and health care workers to our police department. This will help maintain the law and order and all cases will be processed in the correct manner. Not only how the system is executed but the blame also goes to the standards our society put upon us that have led us to where we stand today. As stated on “Show Racism The Red Card”: “what we believe, including our beliefs from different racial backgrounds is usually learnt from our parents and/or the society standards we live around. From a very early age, we hear their opinions and accept them without asking questions.” Therefore ensuring that the influence and standards that we are surrounded by, should be of those who share a good influence. We all need to reconsider our thinking and our beliefs. We should stop being judgemental, keep aside each other’s differences and consider them as our strengths and our uniqueness. We must bring a change in ourselves to bring a change in society. Time is moving and so shall our mindsets , our standards, and our ways towards the future.
My Blogs
Lives Matter
Lives Matter. It isn’t just a trend or a publicity stunt. It is something which beholds the rights for all people, for all groups, for all of humanity. White supremacy occurs in all areas whether it is for job opportunities, selection in a particular organization and even in schools. A black man named Willie Simmons stole $9 and was imprisoned for 38 YEARS. Whereas, a white man named Brock Turner committed a sexual assault crime and was imprisoned for 6 MONTHS. Very high numbers of other racial youths, especially males, report being stopped regularly or searched by police – approximately double the rate for white youth. There are many more examples that prove that White supremacy is supported in all areas of life against all racial groups. In Canada, a 62 year old, Muslim man, Ejaz Chaudhry was shot by a police officer as they claimed he was holding a weapon but witnesses say that this is not true. A black, 29 year old woman jumped off her balcony while police officers were present. She died before being given any medical support. Investigators say that she may have suffered from mental illness and a disturbing call from the police triggered her anxiety and caused her to commit suicide. With consistent racism and mental health phobias people are dying. Mental health is taken as a stigma. While only physical effects are only considered as REAL ISSUES. Cancer is a major problem and billion dollars are given for research to find a cure for Cancer. Another major problem is mental health, however, the amount of funds given for research and for support systems is fairly less. Why is such a major issue ignored? Why are only physical effects taken more seriously than mental effects? Why is white supremacy supported so much? This is the type of society we all live in. We need supporters not attackers. Lives matter and all issues should be given the same importance!
Things need to be changed! We need to bring a change! We need to share our voices to bring a change! If you or someone you know are suffering from mental health issues please seek counselling/therapy. Below are a few areas where you can visit for seeking help: 1. http://www.camh.ca (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Canada’s largest mental and addiction teaching hospital) 2. https://cmha.ca (Canadian Mental Health Association) 3. https://letstalk.bell.ca/en/ (Bell Let’s Talk campaign)
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Let’s Bring A Change 