Ontario to Combat Bullying, Support Student Mental Health

eAwazHealth

TORONTO — The Ontario government is marking Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week by investing $4.6 million to help combat bullying in schools and expand initiatives to equip students with the social and emotional skills they need to thrive. This funding will help foster stronger connections among students, promote a safe, respectful and inclusive school environment, and help reduce incidents of violence …

Ontario Helping Kids Stay Active and Healthy

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HAMILTON — The Ontario government is investing $15.3 million in more than 100 organizations that provide fun, safe and supervised activities for children and youth across the province through inclusive team sports and active recreation programs. “Our government is proud to support opportunities for children and youth throughout Ontario to lead active and healthy lifestyles,” said Neil Lumsden, Minister of …

 Jill Dunlop speaks about EQAO

eAwazLocal News

Ontario – Jill Dunlop, Minister of Education, issued the following statement on the provincial Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) assessment results: “This EQAO results show that, after years of disruption to foundational classroom learning resulting from the pandemic, student learning in Ontario is stabilizing as our government’s focus on core learning and practical skills development begins to be felt. …

Premier Doug Ford Makes Changes to Cabinet

eAwazLocal News

TORONTO — Premier Doug Ford has named Jill Dunlop as the new Minister of Education and Nolan Quinn as the new Minister of Colleges and Universities. Kevin Holland has joined Cabinet as the new Associate Minister of Forestry and Forest Products as part of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Graham McGregor has joined Cabinet as the new Associate Minister of Auto …

More Child Care Fee Reductions Coming for ON Families

eAwazLocal News

TORONTO — Ontario is taking the next step in lowering child care fees for families as part of the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. Starting in January 2025, parent fees will be capped at $22 per day for children under the age of six in CWELCC programs, resulting in additional savings of nearly $300 million in 2025 …

Increasing Access to Free Menstrual Products in Schools

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BRAMPTON — The Ontario government is breaking the stigma around period poverty by making sure schools across Ontario can offer free menstrual products to their students. Todd Smith, Minister of Education, announced a new three-year agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart to expand the province’s Menstrual Equity Initiative and provide more than 23 million free menstrual products to students over the …

High School Graduation Requirements for Stronger Ontario Diploma

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Suite of reforms will modernize requirements for a secondary school diploma for the first time in 25 years TORONTO — The Ontario government is modernizing the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) requirements for the first time in 25 years, and launching consultations with parents, job creators, educators and stakeholders on what skills students need to be better prepared for life …

Combating Gender-based Violence in Youth Through Sports

eAwazSports News

HAMILTON — The Ontario government is investing nearly $875,000 to train high school coaches on prioritizing important conversations with young male athletes about youth dating- and gender-based violence, consent and healthy relationships, and building cultures free from violence. This will help support safer schools as Ontario implements restrictions on cellphones, removal of social media from school devices, and the banning …

Safeguarding Children’s Personal Information

eAwazLocal News

OAKVILLE — The Ontario government intends to introduce legislation that would prohibit the misuse of data created by children and youth engaging with schools and children’s aid societies. The regulatory changes would enable the creation of protections to better safeguard children’s information from being stolen or used inappropriately due to cyber incidents. Future regulations could include age-appropriate standards for software programs …

Ontario Making It Easier to Enter Skilled Trades

eAwazLocal News

BRAMPTON — The Ontario government is introducing new policy and legislative measures to attract more young people to the skilled trades, including adding a new apprenticeship pathway and an online job matching platform. These initiatives are designed to promote the skilled trades to youth and workers and help set them on a path to rewarding, well-paying careers as electricians, plumbers, carpenters …