As the nature of philanthropy in Canada has changed, the purpose of gifts to higher education is evolving away from infrastructure and towards the development of knowledge and the training of young minds. In this viewpoint, reflecting on my 20 years of experience working closely with funders, including business leaders with private foundations,…

The COVID-19 pandemic brings to the fore strengths and weaknesses in many public policies, including higher education. There are at least three separate but related areas where institutions of higher learning have been stressed by COVID-19: financing, issues related to the logistics of learning, and inequality. These problems are especially…

This commentary discusses SSIs in relation to environmental ethics. In their article, Augusto Macalalag Jr., Joseph Johnson and Michelle Lai note tensions between SSIs and environmental education and investigate educational experiences that address some of these tensions. The discourse associated with SSIs generally does not consider…

In this essay, Bruce Maxwell, David Waddington, Kevin McDonough, Andree-Anne Cormier, and Marina Schwimmer compare two competing approaches to social integration policy, Multiculturalism and Interculturalism, from the perspective of the issue of the state funding and regulation of conservative religious schools. After identifying the key…

The Constitutional Act 1867 established a dual system of education in Canada--provincial authority and federal responsibility for First Nations' education. As a part of its treaty obligations, Canada agreed to provide western schools and services equitable with that provided by provincial systems (Morris 1880/1991). The authors argue that the…

Today recent polls have indicated that the Canadian public considers the environment and climate change as their top concern (De Souza, 2007), perhaps eclipsed only by recent economic fears. In keeping with the historical responsiveness of adult educators, environmental adult education (EAE) is widespread across North America. However, this area…

In this article, the author discusses the problems facing Ontario's community colleges' faculty as educators whose "craft" is to teach. The author contends that the problems educators face haven't really been the focus of the three constituencies that have dominated the conversations about the colleges: (1) college management; (2) the…

This article is a response to Scott McLean's (2007) CJUCE Forum article "About Us," which set out the claims that university continuing education (UCE) units make about themselves on their websites. Using the activities of the Legal Studies Program of the Faculty of Extension at the University of Alberta as a reference point, this…

The key to economic and social development lies in the knowledge and skill base of human capital. This report, presented to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance, calls for vigorous action on the part of the Government of Canada, in concert with the provinces and territories, to protect the Canadian economy from a skills shortage…

Study of educational practices in five countries and the United States found the United States unique in depending heavily on local property taxes. Although none of these countries has devised perfectly fair system of educating their children, they are working toward that goal. New Jersey debacle is example of willingness of American middle class…

An amendment to the Canada Assistance Plan, a national-provincial cost-sharing arrangement, is suggested. The adjustment would ensure that citizens in all provinces have access to comparable services and bear comparable tax burdens by allowing greater fiscal transfers to provinces with greater need and/or smaller tax bases. (Author/MSE)

Discusses the problems related to decreased spending for education. Argues in favor of greater accountability for two reasons: policy must be shaped through something other than monetary importance of a given lobby group; and the education debate should be public and democratic, engaging the entire citizenry. (JOW)

If the notion of public and private spheres seems somehow quaint or old-fashioned, the distinction between public and private corporations will be that much more obscure. Yet Channel One broadcasts in a public school classroom are indisputably the result of a contract between a private corporation (Alloy Media + Marketing) and a public corporation…

Because contemporary society accepts inequalities in income and social privilege, its tolerance for the varied and divergent educational consumption of its citizens is understandable. However, the acceptance of a dual educational system by parents, local authorities, and governments has implications for government involvement and educational…

A proposed educational finance system for the Northwest Territories, a rural area with a predominantly aboriginal population, appears to combine equity, adequacy, efficiency, and choice. The system pays actual costs for an agreed level of service, allows local discretion in resource allocation, and provides training and policy support to…