The RSU has released a statement regarding the Province of Ontario's plan for a return to in-person schooling on January 5th, 2022.
The Ontario government's decision to resume in-person learning for students in the province poses a significant risk. As is the case, more time is required to gauge the effect of the outgoing Winter Break on case counts before initiating a full return. Otherwise, our safety as students is jeopardized. Additionally, decisions made in a memo sent last Thursday are of significant concern. Specifically, they promised individuals the option of temporary online learning, without providing school boards the necessary support or clarification to render this feat feasible. The Ministry also announced that they will no longer report COVID-19 cases in schools. The suspension of robust reporting of stats regarding cases in schools bars students and parents from critical information, as the government fails to fulfill its duties in response to the outbreak. Thus, the RSU advocates the delay of regular school operation until AT LEAST January 10th, 2022, with a temporary transition to online learning. The full statement can be viewed online at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mr8BXIhhZHC0YhxE6cj4km2LxgwG0q-87x5pHrUbWus/ The RSU will be holding an Open Discussion Meeting at 7pm on November 5th, 2021, to discuss issues that students in Ottawa want to address.
If you have issues you would like voiced or addressed by the Union, whether you are a member or not, feel free to join! Any and all feedback is appreciated! Join using the link below! The RSU has passed a referendum which will suspend all issue-specific committees until further notice. This decision has been made in response to the future growth prospects of the union.
Going forward, we plan to operate all projects under the management of the greater union. Release from Faiz Jan So [Faiz], Kirsten and Joy have decided to spin this off into a broader independent movement which will campaign for a coalition of organizations (of course including the RSU) while mobilizing grassroots support simultaneously. Over the past numerous months, folks from the Rideau Students' Union, the Ontario Student Trustees' Association and the Toronto Youth Cabinet have been working in conjunction to develop policy regarding mental healthcare. After a lot of hard work, yesterday, we released a petition organizing this policy and in the hopes that it can be taken to the Provincial Government for implementation. If you want to read the petition or sign on, click on the button below. Thank you so much to Faiz Jan, Amy Nguyen, Kirsten Kelly, Joy Liu and Stephen Mensah for your amazing work on this project.
By Amy Nguyen, Desmond Anuku, Austin Wang, Jaden Dai, Lefan Hu, Yeeren Chen, Amir Yazdani, Eric Luo, Faiz Jan, Andi Si, Alexander Li, Ammi Paul, Julien Liang, Jadie Leung, Kosar Hemmati, Abel Diress, Ali Kalkas, Antonio Samuna, Cynthia Zhang, William Chen, Vicky Ungariuddanie, and Edward Yang.
This report investigates the Quadmester and Octomester systems and their applications in Ontario high schools, how they affect students' academics, their mental health and possible alternatives to the system that allow for maximum learning while ensuring precautions remain to prevent virus spread during the Coronavirus pandemic. On April 10th, the Union will hold its first annual general convention to encourage youth participation in policymaking, recognize the work of active high school students, inform students of varying issues (ranging from climate change to treatment of indigenous people) and to get the gears turning for communication between students and activists/government members and other stakeholders.
To accomplish these goals, the Unions has devised numerous activities including a speakers series with Members of Parliament, Trustees, activists and others, a networking session to find like-minded peers and talk about issues with experts, a Q&A session brought to you by the Social Issues Committee about the Water Crisis in Indigenous Communities, an awards ceremony to recognize student excellence and more. Join us to learn, grow and become more active in your community. The convention will be 4 to 6 hours long but you can just join us for the parts that you find interesting. A full agenda will be posted soon. To sign up or for more information, check out the link below. We hope to see you soon. By Faiz Jan, Amy Nguyen, Parnia Zahraei, Mariam El Sahhar and Gareth Dunbar
This report evaluates the status and need for mental healthcare in Ontario and in Canada and assesses the viability of certain policy that could be implemented to solve the issues presented. The investigation uses data collected from external resources along with a study conducted by the Union to come to a conclusion on practical reforms, some old and some new, about the problem at hand. Every year, Canadians spend $6.3 billion in out-of-pocket expenses and 45.8% of students have said that they have needed access to mental healthcare but were unable to. It is vital that the issue of mental wellbeing is taken seriously and treated as a reasonable medical treatment under Ontario and Canadian Law. This report evaluates the reasons why mental healthcare subsidization is a necessity for students and citizens and the benefits it brings both in health and in economics. The report identifies 4 steps that should be taken to tackle the numerous issues surrounding the mental wellness of individuals and students.
Vice President Diego Grunau talks to Robyn Bresnahan, on her CBC Radio Show 'Ottawa Morning with Robyn Bresnahan', about the March Break and the reasons why students grow concerned by the threat of cancellation or postponement.
Jacquie Miller from the Ottawa Citizen interviews Faiz Jan, the Union President, on the need for maintaining March Break referring to the issues of mental health and scheduling.
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