Editor's note: After a bruising provincial election campaign that revealed deep dislike among Ontario voters for any form of government-funded religious schools, Catholic education supporters have a right to be nervous. Their own system came under attack and will now be under an unfriendly microscope. In these stories, we explore some of the issues and possible solutions.
The rest of the provinces, Quebec, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nunavut, receive no funding for Catholic schools.
Catholics are under new pressure to justify public funding for their schools following three months of faith-and-education debate leading into the election earlier this month that saw Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals win with a solid majority.
{mosimage}RICHMOND HILL, Ont. - The York Catholic District School Board. has named a new school in Richmond Hill after internationally renowned Canadian Jean Vanier.
{mosimage}TORONTO - Among the 33 principals chosen for this year’s Canada’s Outstanding Principals Award were four Catholics from across Ontario.
Msgr. Dennis Murphy's leadership in Catholic education recognized
By Sheila Dabu Nonato, The Catholic Register
Former Prime Minister John Turner, environmentalist David Suzuki and former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin all share something in common with long-time Catholic educator Msgr. Dennis Murphy. They have all been honoured with a National Leadership Award from Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School in Guelph, Ont. On May 3, Murphy joins the impressive list of the school’s past honourees. He will also be the first clergy to receive the award.
Murphy, 75, said he was surprised by the award because he retired from the Catholic education scene about eight years ago.
{mosimage}Despite a recommendation from its own review committee that The Golden Compass continue to be available to students in Grade 7 and above, the Halton Catholic District School Board has banned the book from all its libraries.
{mosimage}KITCHENER, Ont. - The Waterloo Catholic District School Board will remove a teacher resource, which a local lobby group says “normalizes homosexuality,” from its schools but still make it available through requests to the Religion and Family Life co-ordinator.
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{mosimage}BRADFORD, Ont. - Catholic high school students in Bradford will get a little taste of Ontario’s $4-billion Good Places to Learn fund in the form of a $5.1-million renovation at Holy Trinity High School. And in another sign of the education boom outside Toronto, the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board has named its newest elementary school now under construction in Barrie’s south end.
{mosimage}TORONTO - Toronto’s Catholic school board may or may not hold an election to replace a trustee accused of passing off personal spending as board expenses then turfed for failing to show up for four meetings in a row.
{mosimage}TORONTO - It isn’t always teachers who are critical to education. Among the annual education awards handed out by Ontario’s Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne April 30, an award to the special needs education assistants at Ottawa’s Sacred Heart High School honoured a team that does far more than teach.
{mosimage}TORONTO - Having spent $900,000 on questionable expenses in 2007, Toronto’s Catholic school trustees face a political crisis.
“If the perception is that the board is frittering the money away on things that aren’t prescribed under the legislation it makes it difficult for us to win the public relations battle with the Minister (of Education) over underfunding. That’s a given,” said newly appointed Ward 6 trustee Rob Davis.