Childless Cat Lady💃🏽

[Avi Lewis @avilewis]

My father Stephen Lewis is spectacularly uninterested in social media, so I’m posting this myself (though he has read it and is prepared to suffer the indignity of all I'm about to reveal).

When he was Canada’s ambassador to the UN from 1984-88, Dad was truly shocked by the regularity of open, vitriolic antisemitism in the cocktail parties and ambassadorial receptions that surround that crucial but flawed institution.

For this reason (among others) he’s always been the one in our family with the deepest atavistic fear of antisemitism. He was sympathetic to the idea of Israel as a refuge longer than the rest of us.

This is no longer the case. Like so many Jews who for decades adopted the dominant narratives of Zionism, he can no longer defend the current actions of the state of Israel.

He now regards Israel as a rogue state, committing genocide and other crimes against humankind, which ought to be opposed by every tool and tactic in Canada's diplomatic arsenal.

To return to the personal, seven years ago my Dad was diagnosed with a vicious cancer and was given as little as 3 months to live. It’s a sublime understatement to say that he’s a fighter - but he has persevered in life with a tenacity familiar from his political, diplomatic and humanitarian pursuits.

Which brings us to this morning, when at 87 years old, he spent an hour standing at the side of the road in his old riding of Scarborough West. Standing up as a Jew against genocide. Standing up for justice for Palestine. Standing up on the right side of history, where the vast majority of humanity currently stands.

I’ve never been prouder, never more humble before the stubborn principle and insistent moral clarity of the guy I’m so lucky to call Dad.

People of Canada: don’t stop talking about Palestine.
Starvation as collective punishment can never be forgiven.
Burning and burying children alive can never be defended.
Stand up against genocide until we make it stop!

Thanks Dad.

And special thanks to @CharlieAngusNDP for shining his spotlight on Ted Schmidt and the other excellent folks who gather every Thursday at 8 am at the corner of Victoria Park and Kingston Road in Scarborough.

[Aleana Young @AleanaYoung]

https://t.co/MV2gLWJJst

[André Picard @picardonhealth]

Where is Public Health?
Last week, I was writing about #measles spreading in Ontario and Alberta and the invisibility of public health officials there. https://t.co/zmUAew4l5S
CBC News has more on the topic today, including this observation. https://t.co/mNx2665fv7

[Saskatchewan Health Authority @SaskHealth]

Update from Dr. David Torr, SHA Medical Health Officer as of Mar 21/25. Two cases of measles have been confirmed for Saskatchewan as of today & we are investigating one suspected case. Measles is highly contagious & spreads quickly.

Measles can be prevented by vaccination.

[Daniel Buck, “Youngest Old Man in Ed Reform” @MrDanielBuck]

New EduBabble that needs to get tossed into the trash: “disregulated”

No. The kid is misbehaving or out of control.

“Disregulation” completely removes agency from the kid and entirely externalizes the cause of any misbehavior.

[The Principal’s Office @educator4ever36]

School discipline 2025: I’m subbing today and a young man was very disruptive and out of his seat. I redirected him a few times. He says, “f*ck this I’m leaving” and walks up on me by the door. (I was ready to move because I don’t block students) He then created a scene so I called an administrator. He returns 15 minutes later with chips and says he’s sorry. You can’t teach through this. You just can’t.

[Samantha Becotte @STFPresident]

Reminder- the only reason families and divisions have needed to access Jordan’s Principle grants for educational supports is because @skgov hasn’t adequately funded public education for the last decade.

https://t.co/qpn7ktcqWn

[UAW @UAW]

“Our members, who get paid roughly $35 an hour, have been asked to somehow figure out how they can compete with workers that make $3 an hour,” said Jason Wade, an assistant to UAW President Shawn Fain. “Those workers should be paid either the exact same or in close proximity to what American workers earn, because they're creating the same value for those companies. These companies cannot continue to be allowed to ‘compete’ based on how badly they screw over and pit Mexican and U.S. workers against each other.”

[Sask Fed of Labour @SKFedLabour]

January 30 marks 10 years since the SFL brought you the constitutional right to strike!

We brought together 5 insiders from the legal challenge to reflect on what it all means.😎 https://t.co/y3e5sLpSMF

@LHubich @ljohb @SameOldKent #canlab #skpoli

[John Ralston Saul @JohnRalstonSaul]

This is what Canadian leadership sounds like.

[Citizen of Kansas @Citizen_of_KS]

Too many people think it’s the teacher’s job to have just the right song and dance to please the students into maybe paying attention to the content. Reality check, it’s our job to deliver content. It’s the students job to take in and apply said content. We’re not entertainers.

[The Principal’s Office @educator4ever36]

I never understood why parents of the other kids never complained “loud” enough. As a Principal, I prayed that some of my parents would go to the Superintendent on my out of control kids. I was so limited on what I could do by district policy but knew parents could get action. They never did escalate the complaints for some reason even though their child had been terrorized in class.

[Bill Madden @maddenifico]

This video should infuriate anyone ignorant and dumb enough to have voted for Trump. 🎯🎯🎯👇

[Ty Thiessen 🌾🇨🇦🍁 @ABtythiessen4]

It is astounding to me there’s virtual radio silence across the board in government on the Merger between Bunge and Viterra.

An assessment conducted by the University of #Saskatchewan found that the merger will inevitably cause substantial economic harm to producers.

#skpoli 🧵

[Bryce 🇨🇦 🚴 @BryceYourselves]

My favourite is this story out of Radville in September, basically the mayor pleading with the Sask Party to take action over their ER closures then a month later 74% of them vote the Sask Party back in.

https://t.co/8FWpwdH4Bb

[James A. Furey @JamesAFurey]

Talk to a teacher that went from being in a school that allows kids to carrying phones to one that doesn’t.

It is one of the clearest and most positive differences a school can make.

[Mark Thunderchild @MarkTchild]

This is a multiple day disruption. I guess people should plan their emergencies wisely?...

[Paul Dechene @PaulDechene]

10/10. Best summary I’ve heard.

[Suburban Polly @SuburbanPolly]

Pierre plans to cut public healthcare?

This interview is pure gold. A gift to @JustinTrudeau

[Sam Tripoli @samtripoli]

This is such an amazing bit, @ronnychieng!