Huron Expositor, 2014-11-12, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, November 12, 2014
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Canada'
editorial
Sex ed in Ontario
schools, the sequel
Premier Kathleen Wynne will introduce a controver-
sial sex education curriculum into Ontario elemen-
tary schools in September 2015.
Controversial because the last time the Liberal govern-
ment tried to do this in 2010 — when Wynne was educa-
tion minister from 2006 to early 2010 — it botched it so
badly then premier Dalton McGuinty killed it.
McGuinty cancelled its implementation just hours after
his own cabinet ministers had vigorously defended the
new curriculum, which called for teacher -led discussions
of topics such as masturbation, oral and anal sex and
homosexuality by Grade 8.
He said the province hadn't consulted enough with
parents, even though his own government insisted it had
consulted with the public for two years.
In fact, few parents had heard of the new curriculum
until critics, led by Charles McVety, president of Canada
Christian College, started campaigning against it.
This time, Wynne's government says it will have 4,000
hand-picked parents chosen by school principals partici-
pate in an online survey on the sex education curriculum
before it is introduced.
Most are expected to be the chairs of school councils.
But their purpose, other than providing a rubber stamp
of approval, seems unclear.
That because while selected parents will be asked their
views about issues related to the new sex education cur-
riculum, Education Minister Liz Sandals has already said
that's unlikely to lead to any changes.
Nor will the province inform all parents about the con-
tents of the new curriculum, which will be left up to indi-
vidual schools.
Thus it's hardly surprising the government is again
being criticized for not meaningfully consulting parents.
This time, opposition is being spearheaded by an
organization called Parents As First Educators (PAFE).
It has launched a petition objecting to what PAFE Presi-
dent Teresa Pierre calls the "graphic" revision of the sex
education curriculum.
In fairness, the province hasn't formally updated this
curriculum since 1998, although in the 2010 controversy
many teachers said the new content wasn't much differ-
ent from what was already being taught in schools.
It's obvious the Wynne Liberals now want to appear to
be consulting with parents while limiting the scope of
that consultation and placing restrictions on which par-
ents will be consulted.O.
Given that, they should expect a similar controversy to
the one in 2010.
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Adventures in Huron County
-we., I made it.
One year at the
Huron Expositor. My how time
flies.
I feel like it was only yester-
day when I first walked into the
tiny Expositor office, my arrival
marked by the first snow of the
year. You can imagine how
thrilled I was for that.
Over the past year, after writ-
ing around 48 columns and
over 200 articles, not to men-
tion having taken hundreds of
photos, I can say I've seen and
learned a lot of things.
Here's just a few.
This is a place where volun-
teers really work hard. I've
honestly never seen so many
people devote their time to so
many causes. From the food -
bank to the Christmas Bureau,
residents of Huron East sure
do love to lend a helping hand.
You pull together for a
cause. Whether it was the
Drive for Dean or the Disney
breakfast, hundreds of locals
turned out and pitched in to
help out their neighbours. The
money raised at these events
was overwhelming and I'm
sure it was accepted by grate-
ful hearts.
You're full of talent. Just one
look around the fall fair round-
house and you could see
there's a lot of talent around
here. Add that to the beautiful
local artwork being showcased
with the Art Unhinged project
gracing Main Street store win-
dows, and it's obvious.
History is important. When I
first got here, one of the first
things I was told was to get rid
of the Years Agone section if I
wanted. But, after talking to a
number of people, I realized
Seaforth's history is pretty
important to many. This is also
easy to see through the hard
work done by the BIA in main-
taining the visual appearance
of Main StreetYou're camera
shy. I can't count the number
Column
Whitney South
Huron Expositor
of times I've been invited out
to an event, only to have those
same people run from my
lens. Don't be shy, pictures tell
stories.
The kids are happy. Never in
my life have I met such a great
bunch of kids as I have visiting
the area schools. I've really
enjoyed my time getting to
know the staff and students,
and every time I get a chance
to interview anyone from any
class, I'm always impressed.
But even after an entire year,
there's still one thing that has
blown me away more than
anything else.
Folks still don't realize the
paper only has one reporter and
photographer - and that's me.
Yes, that's right, just me.
And trust me when I say, it's
not easy.
I can't tell you the number
of times I've been told I'm not,
in fact, the only one - we have
at least three. Now, if you
knowwhere they've been,
could you let me know?
They've definitely been miss-
ing in action.
But seriously, I've very much
enjoyed my time here so far and
look forward to all the great
events and stories yet to come.
And that being said, I'd love
to hear your ideas. As I men-
tioned in my very first column,
please never be afraid to send
me an email or give me a call.
If you want to see more of
something in the paper, let me
know.
I've included a couple of my
favourite moments on pages
18 and 19, take a look.
Here's to another great year.
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