In a partisan environment there is still time for independent and non-partisan opinion

We have obviously entered a super-heated political environment - one that at least in Ontario will not end until polls close on October 6th. In the midst of this, those of us who are politically active should take note of independent opinions and non-partisan efforts, as a gauge against our own efforts. In education, the 2011 'Report Card on Ontario's Elementary Schools http://www.fraserinstitute.org/research-news/display.aspx?id=17371 was just released and it concludes that in the last five years advances have just held steady. It should not come as a surprise that most school improvements would have come in the early years of standardized testing, and that improvements will get harder as time goes by. (The report also by inference asks a fundamental question about whether or not throwing money at a problem will solve it). Read the report and search out your own school. This afternoon, a provincial budget will be presented, and we will write more about that later. In the meantime, we have learned that important recommendations of the all-party Select Committee on Mental Health and Addiction will be included, and that is a good thing. You can read the report at http://bitly/ickw1c but you should also note that it is thanks to members of three parties - Kevin Flynn (Liberal from Oakville), France Gelinas (NDP Nickel Belt) and Ontario PC Deputy Leader Christine Elliott (Whitby-Oshawa) that it has progressed this far.