Check out the latest Issue of our e-bulletin, Soundbites. (February 4, 2011)
Posted on 04. Feb, 2011 by admin.
This issue:
- Last chance to register for the Frances Lankin Community Tribute Event
- Inequities in School Fees: Discussions with the Toronto District School Board
- News From Our Partners
- Worth Repeating – School for low-income kids to open in Niagara-region
- Get Involved in Social Planning Toronto
- About Social Planning Toronto
- Join us on Twitter & Facebook
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SPT’s Pre-Budget Submission to Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
Posted on 01. Feb, 2011 by admin.
In this submission, we focus on initiatives that will promote economic recovery, while advancing the provincial government’s commitment on poverty reduction. We recognize that the government is under pressure to exert fiscal restraint, which is often interpreted to mean cuts to programs and services. We urge the Province to keep in mind the age-old caution never to be “penny wise and pound foolish”; to chart a course, instead, toward a long term vision of an Ontario that is a liveable, thriving and healthy place for all.
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City Budget Watch Update – January 25, 2011
Posted on 25. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Today was the second of a two day wrap up session at the Budget Committee. This meeting covered several motions and reports from the Toronto Water, operating and capital budgets.
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City Budget Watch Update – January 24, 2011
Posted on 24. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Today was the first of two days of wrap up sessions at the Budget Committee. The day started with a staff report on the 2011 re-assessment impacts and 2011 tax rates.
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Register for the February Research & Policy Forum: “The Real Cost of Public Education: Fees, Fundraising, Equity and Access in Ontario”
Posted on 24. Jan, 2011 by admin.
Being a student in Ontario’s public education system is supposed to mean having access to a top-quality education – free of charge. This past reality, unfortunately, is not our present state of affairs. User fees, many violating Ontario’s Education Act, are popping up throughout the system to cover gaps in funding. In our more affluent schools parents are fundraising hundreds of thousands of dollars to cover items ranging from computers to school renovations to art supplies that used to be funded out of school budgets, while other students in other schools go without. Our neediest students, even our middle-class students, are struggling to pay for an education that should be free, while some schools are providing an education subsidized by the wealth of generous alumni.
How do we begin to reintroduce equity into the education system?
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