“Leyland Cecco is a freelance journalist based in Toronto, Canada. His work has primarily been in the Middle East, South Asia and Canada, with a focus on water security.” – The Guardian website September 6 2021 Dear Mr. Cecco, Your article in …
Can We Talk About Racism?
Doug Cuthand, a columnist who writes on Indigenous issues for the Saskatoon Star-Pheonix, once wrote a piece that apparently bothered many non-Indigenous readers, excoriate as it did the treatment of First Nations people by “white” society. Among other things, he …
Indian Residential Schools
Canadians are constantly being told that the Indian residential school system is at the root of the many dysfunctions in Indigenous society today. Alcoholism, violence, poverty and poor educational attainment are all blamed on these schools, the last of which …
Myth versus Evidence: Your Choice
There is nothing simple about the story of Canada’s Indian Residential Schools. For one thing, what we think of as the Indian residential schools underwent considerable change during their 126-year history, with fluctuations in size, focus, and influence. Beginning as …
Where is the Wisdom? Where are the Smiles?
In a line at the supermarket checkout, I glanced back at the woman who was placing her purchases on the belt behind my grocery items, and I couldn’t help but wonder what life had done to her to put such …
Inspiring But Not Educating
In November of 2016, I attended a national gathering in Toronto organized by Indspire, a truly worthwhile national body that promotes and assists with the improvement of education quality and success among Indigenous youth. I was presenting a workshop on …
Complexity, Nuance, Truth: The 3:10 to Yuma and Indian Residential Schools
On a Saturday afternoon that presented me with a few idle hours, I sat down on the living room sofa to watch director James Mangold’s 2007 film, 3:10 to Yuma, starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, and — oh my goodness! …
There are Boarding Schools and there are Boarding Schools
Stuffed between the sections of the Globe and Mail last week was a fairly thick, glossy publication entitled Our Kids: Canada’s Private School Guide, an annual digest that I’ve browsed through occasionally, primarily out of an educator’s interest in the …