Last week, the Greater Essex County District School Board cancelled school trips into the United States.

The school board said it was concerned that some of its students might not be safe at the border crossing. They also expressed a concern about "equity." What did they mean by...

What happened on the 21st of January? Something rather special. Women all over the world organized to let the new President of the U.S.A. and his government know that women's rights are human rights.

Not only did women march, they were joined by their families, friends...

Sometimes you don't know whether laugh or cry. Last week, Toronto city planners called a public meeting to discuss accessible and affordable public housing.

Where was the meeting scheduled to take place? In a legion hall that can only be reached by climbing a staircase.

What...

Should a teacher bring her service dog to school?

In Alberta, recently, a teacher for deaf students who is herself deaf, was prevented from bringing her service dog with her into the classroom where she normally teaches. She was re-assigned to a smaller classroom and not allowed to...

The past week has brought a number of important issues to the forefront -- and many revolve around athletics. So, can we talk about freedom of expression in gym class?

Firstly, we have that regrettable role model, Donald Trump, telling us that foul language, disrespect and threats to...

What on earth is happening in my lovely and diverse city? Things are changing and I am wondering if someone might be to blame.

One morning last week, my husband and I were walking on Queen Street, a major thoroughfare in Toronto. A young woman dressed in a colourful...

Last I looked, The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees Fundamental Freedoms to "Everyone." Should that include school teachers?

In July, when schools were on vacation, a teacher in Mississauga participated in a protest rally. The school board for which she teaches has suspended her with...

I have long suspected that William Whatcott never thought he would be taken so seriously. The Saskatchewan nurse calls himself a Christian Truth Activist and posts on the Free North America website ("North America's Ultimate Social Conservative Online Community").

He has also called himself the High Priest...

Early one morning this week, I opened my front door to find a full colour flyer tucked into my screen. It wasn't pretty. The top of the card read "An unplanned pregnancy can seem very scary." Under that were two photos: On the left was a picture purporting to be...

A few decades ago, a good friend of mine went to St. Vincent to visit her new in-laws. It turned out that this family, although warm and welcoming, was very proper. They used what my friend later learned were some rather odd circumlocutions. She told me that they...

This may come as a shock to some readers: Teachers are human beings -- nearly all of them. This means that, like the rest of us, they make mistakes, behave badly, and sometimes just lose it.

It also means that, like the rest of us, most teachers are basically good...

Last week, just before March break, a high school student in Ontario was sent to jail overnight. Her offence was truancy. Apparently, this young woman was in the habit of skipping school. While I do not know anything about the circumstances of her life or what led up...

One of the most difficult questions that everyone who lives in a democracy faces is "Who gets to say?" Who interprets law, who determines how I identify myself, and most importantly, who makes the final decision about where we draw lines?

This week's news has brought a few troubling stories...

Is there a difference between putting pressure on government and on a non-governmental agency? And what, for these purposes, IS government? Should a university, which guarantees academic and artistic freedom, capitulate to pressure put on it by a generous donor? Should an activist organization make policy decisions based upon what...

Dear Prof. Michael Persinger:

As a life-long civil libertarian and a pain in the butt to those who would quell freedom of expression, I feel the need to converse with you.

I understand that you are being disciplined by Laurentian University, where you hold tenure, for...

Last week, a high school student got onto a crowded subway car at rush hour. While there seemed to be no place left for anyone to sit and those standing were crowded together, a space around her quickly cleared. In fact she found herself the sole occupant of a row...

"I think I have just met one of the worst human beings on earth and she happens to be in grade eleven." I received this text from a teacher this week and it worries me a lot.

My colleagues and I at the Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust...

I heard a story from a teacher last week. I am not sure if it is true, but it sure made me think. The teacher, who teaches law and civics in a public high school, told me that during a previous election she had talked with her grade 10-12 students...

Last week, a woman travelling on a Porter flight from New York to Toronto was asked to move to another seat to accommodate an ultra-Orthodox Jewish man, possibly because his faith prevented him from sitting next to women, but we don't know for sure. She refused...

Alan Borovoy was my friend, my mentor, my boss, and my most worthy opponent. He drove me nuts.

Since his death from natural causes in May, there have been hundreds of words written to describe Alan's brilliance, his reverence for democracy and human rights, his courage and his tenacity....