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We're No. One!
Sir/Madam,
I am quite surprised that you chose not to report on the Stats Canada report released yesterday stating Ontario's tuition fees are now the highest in the country. We also boast the lowest faculty to student ratio.
On the same day that this report was released the Laurentian University Senate voted overwhelming in support to endorse the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario campaign to 'Drop Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario', making them the only University to do so. In addition, Sudbury city council was the first municipality in Ontario to endorse the campaign and have been followed by the municipal councils of Markstay-Warren, St. Charles, Northeastern Manitoulin & the Islands, Iroquois Falls and Hearst. This stands as a testament to how the rising cost of education disproportionately affects the north.
On November the fifth Laurentian Students will congregate at the Great Hall cul-de-sac on campus at 14h00 to join other students, workers and concerned citizens at Bell Park at 14h30 where they will collectively stage a march to raise awareness of the growing in accessibility of post-secondary education to working families.
With 70% of new jobs requiring some form of post-secondary education, and with record unemployment in Northern Ontario and with 1.3 million Ontarians currently living in poverty we need an education system that is accessible to all.
Kindly,
Rafiq Rahemtulla
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Letter to the Editor of the Sudbury Star
Rate dips, still among worst – Its Time to Drop Fees!
Sir/Madam,
With Sudbury boasting the third worst unemployment rate in the country it comes as no surprise that Sudbury City Council was the first municipal council in the province to endorse the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario campaign to ‘Drop Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario’.
Sadly, the statistics you report do not include over 3,000 USW 6500 members currently on strike nor does it take it to account the disproportionate distribution of unemployment amongst young people, aboriginal people, racialised people and other marginalized groups where these numbers can be twice as high.
With an estimated 70% of new jobs requiring some form of post-secondary education. And with Ontario boasting the second highest university tuition fees in the country that have increased annually between 4.5% and 8% it also comes as no surprise that Ontario has gone from a have to a have-not province by putting post-secondary education out of reach for many.
A student's family income is directly related to the probability that they will attend a post-secondary institution. I am deeply concerned what this means for young people who are and will be graduating from high school during the worst recession since the Great Depression. Universities all across the province are already reporting record numbers of financial aid applications. At the same time, Laurentian University had to slash its bursaries by $300,000 for this year and levy a tax on donations to subsidise its operations budget due to chronic underfunding. With more and more applicants for less and less bursary money students simply cannot afford to go to school anymore without incurring mortgage-sized loans.
A student’s geographic distance from a university is also directly related to the probability that they will attend a university. In the north distance is a real barrier to education and in May the Ontario government announced that it was eliminating the Distance Education Grant. This is why it comes as no surprise that many Northern communities, like Markstay-Warren, St Charles and Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands and most recently Hearst, have also endorsed the campaign to ‘Drop Fees for a Poverty-Free Ontario’.
I encourage your readers to join students, workers and concerned citizens on November 5th at 2:30pm at Bell Park to march in solidarity for a more accessible and better funded post-secondary education system. Only by increasing access to the great social equalizer, education, to all can the cycle of poverty be broken and can Ontario return to productivity and prosperity.
Rafiq Rahemtulla
Vice President
Laurentian University Graduate Students’ Association | l’Association des étudiantes et étudiants aux études supérieures de ‘Université Laurentienne
Local 110, Canadian Federation of Students
Monday, August 3, 2009
Releasing Books into the Wild
I just released my first book into the wild after being a member of Bookcrossing . I hope someone finds it and logs finding it. This paradigm of global book sharing is brilliant and I feel great about finally joining in.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Letter to the Editor of the Globe and Mail
Sir/Madam,
The calls for Mr. Clement’s resignation from members and supporters of the Greater Sudbury area continue to roll in without any coverage from your publication. The Minister of Industry had publicly taken the side of a foreign company in a major labour dispute affecting over 3000 Canadian workers when he should have remained neutral. He has insulted the fair, economically diverse and vibrant City of Greater Sudbury. By having a national leader speak so poorly of our city hurts future investment potential and hurts civic pride and to do so haphazardly and without merit is reckless and shameful. Furthermore, taking sides during a labour dispute cripples the autonomy of both Vale Inco and the United Steelworkers in working towards a fair contract and could have derailed and delayed progress in their negotiations. As such Mr. Clement must issue an immediate formal apology along with his resignation.
-Rafiq Rahemtulla – Sudbury, ON
The calls for Mr. Clement’s resignation from members and supporters of the Greater Sudbury area continue to roll in without any coverage from your publication. The Minister of Industry had publicly taken the side of a foreign company in a major labour dispute affecting over 3000 Canadian workers when he should have remained neutral. He has insulted the fair, economically diverse and vibrant City of Greater Sudbury. By having a national leader speak so poorly of our city hurts future investment potential and hurts civic pride and to do so haphazardly and without merit is reckless and shameful. Furthermore, taking sides during a labour dispute cripples the autonomy of both Vale Inco and the United Steelworkers in working towards a fair contract and could have derailed and delayed progress in their negotiations. As such Mr. Clement must issue an immediate formal apology along with his resignation.
-Rafiq Rahemtulla – Sudbury, ON
Thursday, June 18, 2009
A Letter to the Editor of The Toronto Star
Sir/Madam,
Your article, ‘Legal aid boycott hits native communities’, highlights the disproportionate danger of poor public investment on already marginalised groups. As a society we allegedly value the presumption of innocence and right to a fair trial, however, in practice we put more money into prosecuting people than defending them. This hardly seems fair.
The courts, both civil and criminal, are a public service and must be equally accessible for all the people of
-Rafiq Rahemtulla - Sudbury, ON
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
A Letter to the Editor of The Globe and Mail
Sir/Madam,
Your article 'Goodyear questions Mideast forum funds' did not state that SSHRC, as well as NSERC and CIHR, are mandated to run at arms-length from government to prevent political interference. While the controversy of the mideast crisis is clearly at play, Mr. Goodyear’s actions are a sign of a far more systemic problem of government interference in academia.
Universities are the only place we have set aside in our society that the great debates and controversies of our time can be freely discussed without fear of retribution. The freedom to take an unpopular stance on an issue is a fundamental requisite of creative problem solving; this is the rationale behind tenure.
Academics must be permitted to think, explore and debate without fear of persecution. As such the National Graduate Caucasus’ and the CAUT’s call for the dismissal of Mr. Goodyear is both appropriate and necessary. The last thing we need in these difficult times is to have our best and brightest minds afraid to seek creative solutions to the problems we face.
Sincerely,
Rafiq Rahemtulla – Sudbury, ON
Your article 'Goodyear questions Mideast forum funds' did not state that SSHRC, as well as NSERC and CIHR, are mandated to run at arms-length from government to prevent political interference. While the controversy of the mideast crisis is clearly at play, Mr. Goodyear’s actions are a sign of a far more systemic problem of government interference in academia.
Universities are the only place we have set aside in our society that the great debates and controversies of our time can be freely discussed without fear of retribution. The freedom to take an unpopular stance on an issue is a fundamental requisite of creative problem solving; this is the rationale behind tenure.
Academics must be permitted to think, explore and debate without fear of persecution. As such the National Graduate Caucasus’ and the CAUT’s call for the dismissal of Mr. Goodyear is both appropriate and necessary. The last thing we need in these difficult times is to have our best and brightest minds afraid to seek creative solutions to the problems we face.
Sincerely,
Rafiq Rahemtulla – Sudbury, ON
Memorandum of Cooperation
Despite All Their Rage They’ll Still be Plenty of Rats in a Cage
On the 27th of April representatives from Japan, the European Union, the United States and Canada signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to reduce the number of animals used in product safety testing. Specifically, scientists from these countries will have to share null results as well as positive ones to avoid replication of failed experiments thereby reducing the number of animals used and to fast-track approval of alternative methods between the signatory agencies.
Many are referring to this as a great leap forward for the cause of animal welfare. However, neither the memorandum, nor any of the discussions surrounding it make any mention of the number of animals that it will save. The Canadian representative, David Blakey is from the Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau within Health Canada, and as such only has jurisdiction over regulatory policies and practices surrounding product safety and toxicity testing.
In order to determine the potential impact of the Memorandum on the three Rs, specifically, reduce, the 2007 survey (the most recent available data) on animal used compiled by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) was consulted. 10% of animal used under the auspices of the CCAC were used for testing while 4% were used for teaching and a whopping 86% were used for research (including basic, medical or veterinary). The proportions have been fairly similar for the past few years.
The 2007 survey of animal in research use from the Home Office in the United Kingdom was also consulted. Product and toxicology testing falls under “Protection of man, animals of environment”. This category accounted of only 5% of animals used in the UK.
While international cooperation among regulatory bodies and scientists can be immesely beneficial and improve efficiencies it is important to keep things in perspective. I doubt William Russell and Rex Burch who coined the 3Rs would consider this new agreement the great leap forward that the media and others are calling it. If anything it is a babystep, but at least is one in the right direction towards transparency and further collaboration rather than blanket restrictions and limitations like the new policies currently making their way through European parliament.
On the 27th of April representatives from Japan, the European Union, the United States and Canada signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to reduce the number of animals used in product safety testing. Specifically, scientists from these countries will have to share null results as well as positive ones to avoid replication of failed experiments thereby reducing the number of animals used and to fast-track approval of alternative methods between the signatory agencies.
Many are referring to this as a great leap forward for the cause of animal welfare. However, neither the memorandum, nor any of the discussions surrounding it make any mention of the number of animals that it will save. The Canadian representative, David Blakey is from the Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau within Health Canada, and as such only has jurisdiction over regulatory policies and practices surrounding product safety and toxicity testing.
In order to determine the potential impact of the Memorandum on the three Rs, specifically, reduce, the 2007 survey (the most recent available data) on animal used compiled by the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) was consulted. 10% of animal used under the auspices of the CCAC were used for testing while 4% were used for teaching and a whopping 86% were used for research (including basic, medical or veterinary). The proportions have been fairly similar for the past few years.
The 2007 survey of animal in research use from the Home Office in the United Kingdom was also consulted. Product and toxicology testing falls under “Protection of man, animals of environment”. This category accounted of only 5% of animals used in the UK.
While international cooperation among regulatory bodies and scientists can be immesely beneficial and improve efficiencies it is important to keep things in perspective. I doubt William Russell and Rex Burch who coined the 3Rs would consider this new agreement the great leap forward that the media and others are calling it. If anything it is a babystep, but at least is one in the right direction towards transparency and further collaboration rather than blanket restrictions and limitations like the new policies currently making their way through European parliament.
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