The Carleton riding loses a great journalist and community icon

During my Member’s Statement at Queen’s Park recently, I had the opportunity to reflect on the life of John Brummell, a long-time community activist and photojournalist, who passed away peacefully in his home on March 18, 2023.

John Brummell was very devoted to his wife, Rosemary, his daughter, Deborah, and his son-in-law, AJ, as well as to his family, friends and his community.

As an active volunteer in the community, John was a member of the Goulbourn historical society and the Goulbourn horticultural society, and a director with the Richmond Agricultural Society, just to name a few. His lifelong contribution as a volunteer was his commitment to making our communities a wonderful place to live.

John received a city of Ot- tawa City Builder Award in 2017 because of his incredible success at bringing the community together through his involvement and love of photography.

The 80-year-old Stittsville resident was a familiar face around town, with many of his friends, family, and members of the community fondly recalling his ready grin and joyful laugh. Wherever news was breaking or the community was holding an event, no matter how humble the occasion, we all looked forward to a visit from John Brummell or his colleague John Curry, who passed away last year, on February 5, 2022.

With John’s passing, it’s truly the end of an era for the community.

I would like to pass along my deepest condolences to John’s wife, Rosemary, his daughter, Deborah, his sonin-law, AJ, his family and friends, as well as to everyone in the community.

May he rest in peace, and may he always serve as a reminder to the rest of us about the importance of community journalism.

Ontario Combating Violence and Improving Safety in Schools

The Ontario government is investing $24 million to help reduce the risk of violence in schools and promote the safety of students and educators. This is in response to recent incidents of violence in schools that have increased concern and fear amongst stu- dents, families and the broader community.

This funding will provide additional support to school boards and community organizations, including: goldie continues on page 3 goldie continues from page 2

- More than $2.8 million to expand Focus on Youth, increasing the province’s investment in this program by 37 per cent to $10.45 million for 2022-23. This investment will provide high-quality program opportunities for thousands of children and youth in 24 school boards across Ontario by creating employment experiences for high school students. Further, the funding will help increase access to free/low-cost camps for children and youth (kindergarten to Grade 12) in high-needs areas where such opportunities may be limited.

- $500,000 (2022-23, 2023-24) to the Pinball Clemons Foundation to partner with the One Voice One Team Youth Leadership Organization. This partnership will provide mentorship, inspiration and ongoing opportunities for connection through inschool and after-school programming.

- $600,000 to partner with Respect Group Inc to deliver and implement the Respect in School Workshop, a 90-minute evidence-based online training program available in French and English designed for school leaders on the prevention of bullying, abuse, harassment and discrimination.

- $1.5 million (2023-24) in anti-hate initiatives that include development of classroom resources to promote diversity and that better reflect the population of Canada, and to partner with community organizations to provide curriculumlinked educational resour- ces on digital literacy to increase student awareness of online misinformation, critical thinking skills and awareness of online hate and threats.

- $1 million in 2023-24 to partner with community organizations to combat racism and dismantle systemic barriers faced by underserved and racialized students through youth hotlines, counselling services, youth support networks, lesson plans and classroom materials.

To support student wellbeing, Ontario is providing $16 million in new funding in 2023-24 through the Safe and Clean Schools Supplement within the Grants for Student Needs that includes the following:

- $12 million to support the salaries and benefits costs for staff such as psychologists, social workers and child/youth workers to enhance additional direct services for students

- $4 million to support the salaries and bene- fits costs for educational assistants to work with students who may require additional support.

Ontario’s investments reflect the urgency of supporting communities to combat school violence through programs that engage youth, address the root causes of violence, support students to overcome personal and academic challenges hindering learning achievement, and help them create meaningful connections to — and a sense of belonging within — their schools and communities.

Quick Facts

- In summer 2022, nearly 2,000 students were hired through Focus on Youth placements, while more than 28,000 students have benefited from free or low-cost programming.

- Ontario’s Urban and Priority High Schools program provides $10 million annually to 46 schools in 12 English and French school boards in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, London, Ottawa, Waterloo, and Windsor. The program supports participants to become engaged in and attend school regularly, improve their literacy and numeracy skills, participate in school activities, connect to their community, learn valuable leadership skills and plan for their future.

- For the 2023-24 school year, Ontario is providing a projected $43.5 million through the Safe and Accepting Schools Allocation within the Grants for Student Needs to hire child and youth workers, social workers, psychologists, education assistants and attendance counsellors to work with students who are at-risk of suspension or expulsion. The province will also provide programming supports to students who have been expelled or are on long-term suspension, including help meeting curriculum expectations while not in school, developing positive behaviours and attitudes, anger management, substance abuse counselling, self-regulation, conflict management or life skills coaching.

Office Notice:

My office is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4 pm. If you require assistance on any matter, please contact me at any time. My staff and I will be happy to assist. Even if it’s not a provincial issue, I’ll make sure to connect you with the proper office.

Goldie Your voice at Queen’s Park