Sikhs denied exemption from Ontario’s motorcycle helmet law | Toronto Star

2014/08/21 Leave a comment

Good decision, not without courage given support in all party caucuses for the exemption, that other provinces have provided and exemption, and the importance of the Sikh vote in a number of ridings (but expect that most Sikh voters are not single issue voters).

Riding a motorcycle is a choice, not a right. While accommodation for turbans and other head (but not face) coverings is appropriate in most settings,  it is not for this one.

Motorcycle-riding Sikhs in Ontario will not be exempted from the province’s helmet law, Premier Kathleen Wynne has decided.The Canadian Sikh Association says it received a letter last week from Wynne stating the Liberal government, for safety reasons, will not allow Sikh motorcycle riders to wear only turbans as British Columbia and Manitoba currently allow.

“After careful deliberation, we have determined that we will not grant this type of exemption as it would pose a road safety risk. Ultimately, the safety of Ontarians is my utmost priority, and I cannot justify setting that concern aside on this issue,” Wynne said in her letter dated Aug. 14.

Wynne said safety trumps religious freedoms in this case.“As you know, the issue of balance between religious accommodation and public safety has been considered by the courts in Ontario which, on this issue, have found that Ontario’s mandatory helmet law does not infringe on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, nor the Ontario Human Rights Code,” she said.

The Ontario Highway Traffic Act requires all motorcyclists to wear a helmet. This poses a problem for Sikhs, whose turbans don’t fit under most helmets.

Sikhs denied exemption from Ontario’s motorcycle helmet law | Toronto Star.

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Immigration to Ontario has declined 33% due to Federal government rule changes | The Mowat Centre

2014/08/20 Leave a comment

ON immigration and PNPMowat Institute on impact of federal Immigration policy changes in Ontario:

In particular, these policies have reduced the number of people that come to Ontario through economic immigration programs. There are three main categories of immigrants to Canada: economic immigrants who are selected on the basis of their ability to succeed in our economy, family class immigrants sponsored by relatives to join them here and humanitarian/refugee immigrants.

The national target set by federal and provincial immigration ministers aims to have about 70 per cent of immigrants to each province come through economic programs and the remaining 30 per cent through the other streams. But as a result of federal changes to immigration policy, the balance in Ontario has tipped further and further away from economic immigrants, leaving the province with a share of economic immigrants well below the Canadian average. [50 percent compared to 62 percent]

Immigration to Ontario has declined 33% due to Federal government rule changes | The Mowat Centre.

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Religion should be an elective course – Globe Editorial

2014/08/16 Leave a comment

Ongoing series of issues that emerge with funding of Catholic schools in Ontario:

In case there was any doubt, the Ontario Superior Court recently ruled the exemption not only applies to religious courses, but also to liturgies and retreats. The decision is a logical extension of the Education Act and earlier court rulings, and it makes a lot of sense. The primary purpose of a publicly funded school is to teach academics, not faith. Students attending publicly funded Catholic high schools are currently required to take four religion courses, one at each grade level. Any student, particularly those that are struggling academically, should have the right to forgo those classes to focus more on academics.

The trouble is some Catholic schools across the province won’t let them. Some boards claim, in a strange twist of discrimination, that their non-Catholic students are eligible for an exemption, but Catholic students aren’t. They are wrong. Forcing religious classes on any student amounts to a violation of the Education Act and willful ignorance of the recent Ontario Superior Court ruling. Catholic schools should follow the rules if they continue to rely on public funds to operate.

Religion should be an elective course – The Globe and Mail.

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Ontario Liberals to target ethnic voters with demographic database software

2014/04/15 Leave a comment

More on “shopping for votes” and targeting key demographics, this time ethnic communities:

A Liberal source said the software processes census data that can then be fed into Liberalist and matched to individual addresses. It would show, for instance, which houses or apartments are likely to contain Italian-speaking residents, allowing a campaign to target them with Italian-speaking volunteers.

The software lets users see where particular cultural groups are clustered, so they can tailor their campaign efforts to the community. If the tool identified a neighbourhood with a high number of Muslim residents, for example, a campaign can structure its canvassing efforts around prayer times, the source said. The program has already been used by the federal Liberals.

Pitney Bowes makes a range of commercial software generally used by companies for marketing campaigns or to analyze demographic data when determining where to do business.

Provided with a sketch of her briefing, including the software, Ms. Sorbara declined to be interviewed.

“I don’t comment publicly on campaign strategy and would therefore not have had anything to add to your outline,” she wrote in an e-mail.

The PCs are believed to already have sophisticated technology for determining where key voting demographics are and how to reach them. Their techniques are a closely guarded secret, but one insider said the party overhauled its program after the 2011 election and further tweaked it after two by-elections last winter.

Ontario Liberals to target ethnic voters with demographic database software – The Globe and Mail.

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