In case you missed it: Local fellow Sam RM on greenwashed anti-homeless policies in Toronto. "Certain people are excluded from the benefits of public life, because that idea of pristine, sanctified parks is only made possible by their displacement.” thelocal.to/weaponized-env…

Walk down Church St. in 2024, especially during the last week of June, and you’ll hear the same songs over and over again. According to Queens of Dim Sum co-founder Sum Wong, the sameness of the music is a reflection of Church street’s diversity problem. thelocal.to/church-and-wel…

It’s not just the pests, leaky roofs, lack of A/C or poor ventilation. Not just the shortage of staff or basic classroom supplies. It is the accumulation of all these issues that make teachers & parents despair over the state of public education. thelocal.to/education-toro…

Despite the Ontario government’s announcements of what it describes as historic investments in education, multiple school boards across the province are struggling with funding shortfalls that, by now, are chronic. thelocal.to/education-toro…

At “Queens of Dim Sum,” drag culture and Chinese tradition come together over baskets of har gow. thelocal.to/church-and-wel…

"In interviews with The Local, parents, education workers, and advocates described an education system in which schools have fallen into disrepair and the needs of students far exceed what educators are able to provide." thelocal.to/education-toro…

“If you can’t recognize homeless people as people then you’re never going to consider them worthy of being a part of the public, but rather a safety concern, a blight.” thelocal.to/weaponized-env…

Decades of underfunding has led to the point where, as TDSB vice-chair commented in a board meeting in June, “we are not able to recognize the schools that were there 20 years ago.” thelocal.to/education-toro…

“Of course people care more about trees than about people. Of course they do. I mean, trees don’t give you any trouble. Trees don’t have complex needs. Trees don’t have PTSD. Or if they do, they’re very quiet about it.” thelocal.to/weaponized-env…

Well-funded public schools are critical climate infrastructure for many reasons, one of which is simply maintaining/building a sense of the public good itself. Read on for more on the current state of public education in Ontario and the TDSB in particular. thelocal.to/education-toro…

In the largest city in one of the richest countries, Toronto's public school system should be world class. So why are students heading back to school today in crumbling buildings without enough staff to meet their needs? thelocal.to/education-toro…

Interesting comparison of public #education funding per pupil in Ontario vs US states. Part of a great series in The Local Magazine thelocal.to/education-toro…

Years of underfunding have hit schools at their most basic level: their cleanliness. In part two of our “A Thousand Cuts” education series, Wency Leung writes about how a shrinking number of caretakers are struggling to keep Toronto’s schools clean. thelocal.to/tdsb-education…

Sticky floors, rodent infestations, uncleared ice, overflowing toilets—Toronto schools are showing the effects of years of underfunding that have slashed the number of caretaker jobs. thelocal.to/tdsb-education…

My kid's complaints about gross school bathrooms are a city-wide problem. "If classrooms are dirtier, lunchroom tables stickier, snow isn’t cleared as quickly, and washrooms are messier—it’s because there aren’t enough people to do the job" - The Local Magazine. thelocal.to/tdsb-education…

Another excellent, damning story from Wency Leung this morning. After years of cuts, understaffed caretakers in the TDSB say they just can't keep up. The places we send our kids don't come close to meeting the cleanliness standards of the average office. thelocal.to/tdsb-education…

Imagine the responsibility of maintaining a school and cleaning up after 100, 500, 1000 students every day. Now imagine doing it with half the staff, or a fraction of the hours. The reality facing caretakers at Toronto schools, and the fallout for students and staff, is grim.

The state of our public education doesn't just concern parents, kids, and educators. It teaches our future citizens, employees and employers; everyone has a stake in it. Our "A Thousand Cuts" series The Local Magazine: thelocal.to/tdsb-education…

For The Local Magazine ewokspock went to the heart of LRT development on Toronto's Finch West, showing a chaotic landscape of construction unparalleled by Metrolinx's other projects in the city. "It feels like it's Canada's worst obstacle course." buff.ly/3Zwmegx #NMAArtMonth

The schools where we send our kids, one caretaker union rep noted, simply don’t meet the same standards of cleanliness used for commercial and office buildings. thelocal.to/tdsb-education…