February 26 2018 – Ottawa Citizen – Deani Van Pelt – The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario has come out with some bad advice that would disproportionately hurt Ottawa
“Let’s make two facts clear: The funding of religious schools in Canada is not an anomaly; and great numbers of parents choose these schools even when their family’s religious beliefs aren’t the same as the school’s.”
“The conclusion is inescapable: Parents in Canada are choosing religiously oriented schools for their children. Often it means paying tuition. For some it means choosing an independent school, for others a Catholic separate school. In many cases, it means their faith orientation might not precisely match the school they choose. But the bottom line is, despite the barriers, a significant share of parents in Canada desires and chooses a religiously oriented education for their children.”
“Rather than bashing Ontario’s Catholic schools, the ETFO might want to stop and consider why parents are choosing religious education for their children. The union might do well to take seriously the parental search for affordable education alternatives. Parents know that one-size-fits-all doesn’t work in education. And six Canadian provinces already know that the straightjacket education-funding model proposed by the ETFO does not work.”
