Education

19 Sep 2018 What should be in a sex-ed curriculum?

We’re embarking on a new campaign to engage with the issue of sexual education in Ontario. Even if your kids attend private school or are homeschooled, this curriculum will affect your children’s friends and neighbours and will influence the next generation of Ontarians that we will be interacting with. With so much at stake, will you join us? In removing the previous sex-ed curriculum, the Ontario government has set itself right in the line of scrutiny over this issue. Join us in this discussion by encouraging the Progressive Conservative government to...

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29 Aug 2018 FAQs on Alberta’s Bill 24 saga

The recent passing of Bill 24 could have a serious impact on the operation, governance, accreditation, and funding of Christian schools. Consequently, the state of Christian education continues to be of serious concern in our circles. Parents want to be engaged and informed about what goes on at their schools. However, it appears the Alberta government wants to limit parental involvement especially in the area of sexuality and gender issues. Understandably this has caused some stress, if not confusion, about what this legislation really means for the future sustainability of...

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17 Jul 2018 Does the Ontario sex-ed decision matter to you?

What's this all about? The Ontario Government has announced their intention to repeal the Liberal's radical sex-ed curriculum. Use our re-imagined EasyMail to express your thoughts. For more information on what the Liberal's sex-ed curriculum was all about, and why it was concerning for many Ontario parents, read our post here. *Please note: At this point, our database of MPP information is not totally up to date, due to the recent election and the changing boundaries of most of the ridings in Ontario. You may encounter an error that requires you to input your...

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28 Jun 2018 Civil Disobedience and Courageous Leadership by Alberta Schools

by Mark Penninga Many of us are ready to disengage for the summer, leaving behind the stress of our regular lives. But before doing so, please take a moment to reflect on yesterday’s Alberta court ruling against the application for an injunction on Bill 24. This may sound like Greek, and largely irrelevant to you. But it isn’t. For starters, have a look just at page 1 of the decision. Look at the names of the schools listed in the court challenge. Do any of them look familiar to you? This may be the...

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28 Jun 2018 Trinity Western University Considering Next Steps

(Lighthouse News - June 28, 2018) Trinity Western University continues to evaluate this month's Supreme Court of Canada decision on its application to open a Law School. The court ruled that law Societies in BC and Ontario were justified in refusing to admit graduates of that proposed school to the bar in their respective provinces. The ruling said that TWU’s community covenant, under which students and staff pledge, among other things, to only engage in sexual activity inside the bounds of heterosexual marriage, was discriminatory against the LGBTQ community, and...

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27 Jun 2018 Important: Alberta Court Rules against Injunction for Bill 24

TWU ruling cited as precedent Update: We have published a new article with analysis of this decision here. Less than two weeks after the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision against Trinity Western University, a coalition of parents and independent schools in Alberta, including all of the Reformed schools in the province, has lost an application for an injunction to delay implementation of Bill 24, “An Act to Support Gay-Straight Alliances”.  Among other things, the law makes it illegal for anyone in the education system - be that in public, private, or parochial...

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26 Jun 2018 Important Update: Bill 24 Injunction Ruling Expected This Week

(Lighthouse News - June 26, 2018): A ruling is expected by the end of this week in the first round of a court battle over Alberta's Bill 24. That is the bill that mandates every school to institute gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs on request from any student, and to hide information about students from their parents, along with a threat of denying funding or accreditation if they don’t comply. A coalition of parents, Christian schools (including the Reformed schools in the province), and others are taking the Alberta government to court...

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19 Jun 2018 Post-TWU: A time for courage

by Mark Penninga I’m often asked whether political and legal developments in Canada get me down. And my honest answer is that they rarely do. I’m often amazed and encouraged by the impact we can still have when we seize the freedom God has given us and take action. But I admit that last Friday’s Supreme Court of Canada TWU decision really hurts. It is a game-changer. I don’t think most Canadians realize just how profound an impact it will likely have on our most fundamental freedoms. At the risk of oversimplifying it,...

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15 Jun 2018 Supreme Court rules against TWU, placing public perception over rule of law

For immediate release from the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada June 15, 2018 Supreme Court rules against TWU, placing public perception over rule of law OTTAWA – This morning, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against Trinity Western University and their proposed Christian law school. Justices Brown and Côté dissented. The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada, was an intervener in the case. André Schutten, ARPA’s Director of Law and Policy, and John Sikkema, ARPA’s Legal Counsel, acted as counsel for ARPA in the intervention. ARPA sees several major problems with the majority...

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23 May 2018 What did Jason Kenney really say?

By Lighthouse News Some social conservatives in Alberta are expressing disappointment at what they perceive to be United Conservative Party (UCP) Leader Jason Kenney’s position on Gay Straight Alliances and the question of parental notification. The party held its founding AGM and policy convention in Red Deer in early May, and ever since then, there has been considerable controversy over Kenney’s statements with regard to a particular policy resolution that was passed there. Resolution 30, which passed with the support of 57 percent of the delegates, called on the government to reinstate parental...

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