The Gerrard Report

Judy Klassen, former MLA for Keewatinook and I have written to Members of Parliament and Senators to urge them to support a national program to be initiated by the government of Canada to ensure  Every Child needs Access to Learning from Home: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for every child to have access to learning online. Sadly there are still substantial numbers of children in Canada who do not. There is a unique opportunity today to ensure no child is disadvantaged and to ensure that every child in Canada can learn online to supplement their classroom learning, or if needed as with COVID-19, to replace classroom learning temporarily. Simply put, this means every child in Canada must have internet access and a computer to be able to go to school from home, to be able to connect with their teacher, and to be able to learn. Inequalities in our society fester when there is not equity of access to basic needs like education. Today, such inequalities are app...

Personal Care Homes have been at the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic.  More than 80% of deaths in Canada have been residents of personal care homes.  It is expected that there will be a Second Wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to be ready. On June 23 rd , I hosted a Forum “ How do we prepare personals care homes for a second wave of COVID-19? " We asked important questions including: - Do we need a rapid response team to respond when there is a COVID-19 infection in a personal care home? - What steps are needed to ensure the best possible physical health of personal care home residents? - What steps are needed to ensure the best possible mental and brain health of personal care home residents - What steps are needed to ensure all personal are homes are implementing high standards of care and stewardship of residents? - How do we balance access of family to residents with the safety of residents? ...

My blog post below was originally published in a shortened version in the Sou'Wester on Wednesday June 17 “Black Lives Matter!” This chant echoed loudly when fifteen to twenty thousand people came out to a rally at The Manitoba Legislature on June 5th hosted and organized by​Justice4BlackLivesWinnipeg (1).   Many residents of River Heights including myself attended. As the conversation of Black Lives Matter continues to grow around the world and right here in our                   community, we must remember that as we fight for justice, we must also address the systemic discrimination and exclusion of Black Manitobans on all levels. The powerful chants at the rally reminded us of the urgency and necessity of​ action.   One important area to take such   action is our education system. On March 10, 2019, I hosted a public forum in River Heights on   Education in Manitoba. O...