Skip to main content

Judy Klassen and I call for a national initiative to ensure Every Child in Canada has Access to Learning from Home


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 apparent like never before, with unequal access to the basic tools – computers and internet access – that children need to learn online.  This is particularly needed for children with learning or other disabilities.  We can act today to address these inequities. We must.

How is this to be done? It needs leadership from the federal government. What should the federal government do? Since most children in Canada do have computer and internet access from home, it is a matter of filling in the gaps where access is not present. One option to fill the gaps is to work in partnership with organizations like Inspire Community Outreach in Winnipeg. With strong roots in and connections to families in Winnipeg where children do not have computers or internet access from home, Angela Taylor, the founder and CEO of Inspire, came to the forefront and partnered with Computers for Schools, the Winnipeg Rotary Club and the local school division.  Inspire has already placed about 400 computers in homes so children can go to school online and learn during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Inspire still has another 600 children who need help and is working day by day and week by week to help these children as well. 

The efforts of Inspire are a reminder to all of us of the important role of community based organizations in building partnerships and in achieving effective solutions. It is a reminder of the success of the Community Access Program (CSP), begun in 1994, which the federal government initiated to support local community efforts to get access to the internet across Canada. Today, we need a similar program to support community partnerships to fill the gaps in access to computers and online learning for young people across Canada. Funding for the community access plan was based on need, partnerships and a substantive plan to solve the problem of internet access throughout Canada. Now, we need a similar program to ensure that all children in Canada, whether they live in a big city a small village or a First Nation, Metis or an Inuit community, have access to online learning. There may be a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and we need to be ready. But even without a Second Wave, online access from home can help every child to learn and make sure no child is left behind. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Comparison between Manitoba and South Dakota shows dramatic impact of Physical Distancing

Manitoba implemented physical distancing measures in mid-March.  South Dakota has still not made physical distancing mandatory.   The result is a dramatic difference in the incidence of covid-19 viral infections between the two jurisdictions.   This graph shows the number of people with Covid-19 infections from March 27 to April 14.  Manitoba ( red line )  started leveling off about April 4 and has seen only a small increase in Covid-19 infections since then.   South Dakota ( blue line )   has seen a dramatic increase in Covid-19 infections since April 4.  Those who are skeptical of the impact of physical distancing in Manitoba should look at this graph! Data are from the Johns Hopkins daily tabulations
18 comments
Read more

Pushing for safe consumption sites and safe supply to reduce overdose deaths

  On Monday June 20th, Thomas Linner of the Manitoba Health Coalition, Arlene Last-Kolb Regional Director of Moms Stop the Harm and Winnipeg City Councillor Sherri Rollins were at the Manitoba Legislature to advocate for better measures to reduce deaths from drug overdoses, most particularly for safe consumption sites and for a safe supply, measures which can reduce overdose deaths.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Being able to participate matters - Let’s build a more inclusive, accessible Manitoba

Too often, our homes, buildings, and outdoor spaces are designed without sufficient consideration given to how they will impact little people, those with large bodies, or those with disabilities.  Manitoba should become a leader in designing and building new structures so they’re comfortable and accessible to all.  Further, the province needs to do more to adapt our existing infrastructure, so that it meets everyone’s needs.   The design of our built environment makes daily living a challenge for too many.  A friend, who uses a wheelchair, must call ahead wherever she goes to ensure she can enter a restaurant, store, salon, etc. A young person in River Heights has a struggle each fall to make sure that with his cerebral palsy he is able to get the support he needs to do well in school.  A large-bodied man I know has been bedridden for five months because he lacks access to a usable lift or wheelchair.  Samantha Trubyk, President of the Little People ...
Post a Comment
Read more