Michael Swan

Catholic doctors' guilds look to unite

May 1, 2008

TORONTO - Catholic doctors are scrambling to have an influence nationally in coming debates over pro-euthanasia legislation.

Stem cell decisions should be made in public realm

April 29, 2008

TORONTO - The debate over how, when, where and whether scientists should be allowed to experiment on human embryonic stem cells should not be left in the hands of bureaucrats, academics and scientists, London Bishop Ron Fabbro said at a Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute conference for doctors April 27.

Teachers, trustees fight standardized religion test

April 17, 2008

TORONTO - If you want to meet the standard for Grade 4 religion in Toronto’s Catholic schools you had better know the other name for Candlemas.

Street Kings is self-delusional

April 11, 2008

A lot of very smart people in command of rare skills, incredible technology and huge amounts of money have once again made an absurd movie — a numbingly violent, cops-versus-the-social-ills-of-America fantasy that makes no sense and bears no relationship with real people or the real world.

No vote to replace fired trustee

April 11, 2008

TORONTO - With three-years-plus remaining on the current term, Toronto’s Catholic school board is appointing a replacement trustee rather holding an election to decide who will represent Catholic school supporters between Bloor Street and Highway 401 west of Bathurst and east of Jane.

Poverty goes beyond economic theory

April 11, 2008

TORONTO - Andrea Duffield, mother of three and raising them on her own the last five years, knows what poverty is. She’s suffered the humiliations and frustrations of not being able to send her kids on class trips, having to quit a job because it pays less than it costs to keep her kids in day care, having to quit a college nursing program that might have led to a good job but the combination of day care and text books left her with no money for groceries.

Sweatshop monitors finger Ontario school uniform supplier

April 11, 2008

TORONTO - A Workers’ Rights Consortium (WRC) investigation says that a company that makes socks for the largest school uniform supplier in Ontario is in violation of its anti-sweatshop policies. Workers at the Lianglong Socks Ltd. factory in Zhuji City, China, are sleeping in unheated dormitories and working unpaid overtime in a factory deemed dirty, unhealthy and unsafe, according to the WRC. For a lot of Catholic school students across Ontario, that’s an issue.

Christ has implications in today's politics

April 4, 2008

Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw (Zondervan, 355 pages, softcover, $19.99). If Christianity isn’t radical, isn’t subversive, isn’t dangerous and can’t get you into trouble it isn’t really following Christ. The established powers of Roman-occupied Palestine tortured and killed Jesus for a reason. It wasn’t because he was a safe, earnest, harmless reformer.

Catholics could hold sway in U.S. election

April 3, 2008

Catholic voters may well decide who gets to be the next president of the United States. It’s a role that by now should be fairly familiar for American Catholics.

KAIROS campaign takes on big oil

March 28, 2008

TORONTO - Until at least 2010 Canada’s ecumenical social justice agency is going to be thinking, talking, organizing and campaigning on one over-riding issue. From here on out it’s all about fossil fuels for KAIROS.