Writing samples

The Eastern Counties of Ontario Youth For Christ (YFC) finds itself between a rock and a hard place when it comes to applying for funding through the Canadian government’s Summer Jobs Program.  For the past decade, the YFC branches in Maxville and Alexandria have used the funding to hire summer students to help out with a number of initiatives including summer camps.  But now that the government has announced it will no longer provide that funding to pro-life groups, organizations like YFC are faced with a dilemma seeing as how conservative Christian groups tend to view abortion as a sin.  “In order to get the funds, we have to sign allegiance to Mr. Trudeau,” quipped Richard Fenwick, Acting Executive Director and Chairperson of the Eastern Counties of Ontario YFC.  Mr. Fenwick says that YFC Canada has told him to apply for the program anyway but to not check the appropriate boxes in the application.  The government’s website makes it quite clear that ...

Local elementary school teacher representatives say that the provincial government needs to take additional steps to protect everyone’s health if schools are to reopen safely in September.  “Teachers want to be back in school,” says Sylvia van Campen, President of the Upper Canada Occasional Teacher Local with the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO.) “We want to be back with our students; we just want to do it safely. For us, that means ensuring the funding is in place.” Last month, the Ontario government announced more than $300 million to help  schools implement COVID-19 pandemic safety protocols. The money will provide up to 500 public health nurses, masks and other personal protective equipment, additional school custodians and enhanced cleaning supplies, and mental health support.  Ms. Van Campen says that the province has got off to a good start but it’s still not enough. One of her bones of contention is that the province is making it manda...

Are you worried about contracting COVID-19 while you’re out and about? Well, worry not. Thanks to the miracle of technology, the Government of Canada has done something to help you feel a whole lot safer.  Introducing the Covid Alert app, available on the Apple and Google Play stores. Simply download it on your device and then your phone will let you know if you’ve come in contact with anyone harboring the dreaded disease.  The app, which was developed in Ontario, uses Bluetooth technology to detect when cell phone users are near each other. If people get an exposure alert, they can get tested and take the necessary precautions to keep other people safe.  This new app works somewhat on the honour system. If you are diagnosed with COVID-19, you can update the app to let it know your status. Your phone will then act as something of an anonymous beacon to let people around you know that they shared space with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus. ...