Canadian education

[Flor-adian]

Originally Posted by Auld Yin

There's no doubt Thunder Bay is a remote community. It is accessible by road, air and water but it could be difficult for many people to settle into. A visit before deciding would be an appropriate thing to do. If you're into winter activities then it could suit you admirably. Lots of summer stuff to do as it's located on a huge lake and it's ideal if you are into camping and outdoors stuff.

The "PRIVACY LAWS" to which I speak refer to crime committed by someone under the age of 18. It is rarely reported and you are not aware whether or not it is your next door neighbours child or a visit.

I don't know where you have been, but there is a lot of in you face crime in Canada upon innocent bystanders...just travel into any downtown core on the weekend and you'll see it. This is more apparent in the south, however, any College or University town seems to have these issues...look at London, Ontario, known to most people as a bedrooom community in the middle of farmland..where it's crime rate per capita is actually higher than Toronto.

As for schools, split-classes are very, very common. IMO, Unless you have a child in the system TODAY your really not qualified to speak on this as I am, yes, Ontario has had a good education system in the past, however unless your an involved parent, the chances of success in the system now is greatly diminished. The number one topic during any provincial election is class sizes and split grades - however it does not matter who is elected - nothing changes.

[Flor-adian]

Originally Posted by Auld Yin

There's no doubt Thunder Bay is a remote community. It is accessible by road, air and water but it could be difficult for many people to settle into. A visit before deciding would be an appropriate thing to do. If you're into winter activities then it could suit you admirably. Lots of summer stuff to do as it's located on a huge lake and it's ideal if you are into camping and outdoors stuff.

In regards to Canadians in Florida...3 million Canadians flock to Florida for the winter on a regular basis. Over 2 million have a winter home in Florida...10%-12% of one countries population (as small as Canada's) migrating annually is quite substantial.

[Flor-adian]

Originally Posted by mvs70

Thanks for your thoughts, but I'm as puzzled as Auld Yin about these privacy laws of which you speak? Could you clarify - this is something that none of my contacts in Canada, be that Ontario or other 'rival' provinces have ever mentioned. The official stats from the Lakehead and Catholic School Boards show 90% of schools having 20 or less children per class - is this untrue?

Mark

Hi Mark,

In response to Auld Yin's comments about the Privacy Act, demographics on items such as crime are protected, - Youth are protected and while details of a crime may be released, the perp., and his location are definitely not (under 18 years). You will not be able to go online and discover that your buying a home next to a registered sex offender as this information is restricted to police agencies only. The police will alert a city that a sex offender may be released and living in their locale for a heads up if they fear that one may reoffend. Crimes may be reported but are not public record.

I have children in the Ontario school system, and they have been in split grades from JK thru to grade 8. It is amazing how much repetition she has had over the years and how many tutors we have paid for where important items were missed altogether. Declining enrolment and school amalgamation is a big problem here. I don't think one can refer to this as "balderdash" unless one has a child in the system or been through it themselves...not loosely based on what others have offered. I have been in the company of many kids from the UK in the past that were farther along, and were left bored in the system. Due to the diversity of the province (one of the most diverse places in the world) the system is slowed due to lack of understanding of all students in the classroom, and difficulty in communicating. The larger the centre, the more of an issue. Your child's success in the system will be determined by how "hands-on" the parents are.

Class sizes of 20 or less are unheard of in the south, with budgets being reduced - split level classes are becoming more of the norm. 20 or less was a provincial target for up to the third grade. I would inquire to how recent those stats are.

[Flor-adian]

Originally Posted by mvs70

Hmmm... Food for thought. My concern is mainly around my daughter, who did French briefly at school, but would be going in 3 years in - is there a staged approach, or is it all or nothing from the start of school. Also, I've seen the comment that Quebecois is very different to French French - but how different? On our recent visit to Ontario my 5 year old would be asked if he wanted fries with his meal, and would reply "No, chips, please". Is it like this, and just a different accent and the odd different word, or is the whole structure different?

Totally agree. I went thru French Immersion, and I have to disagree with Auld Yin, the french taught is Quebecoise and not "correct French" (and really who determines whose french is more correct anyway). Quebecoise is uniquely Canadian, and it is taught by Quebecoise teachers (if you live in a French area like Sudbury, Point-aux-Roches, Cornwall, or even T-Bay, otherwise in other centres your french may be taught by someone like me who went thru immersion themselves). To say that "correct french" is taught is untrue. Canadian dialect (aka Quebecoise) is taught here and is uniquely Canadian. Yes, you will be able to have a conversation with a Parisienne, but to say which "french" is the correct french is a matter of opinion.

[oddball]

The French taught today in Ontario is FRENCH not quebecois , I have friends with children going through the system as we speak , quebecois is more than a dialectical difference , it is unique unto itself , it was determined that way because it is more for govenmental usage which needs to be on a par with international conversational FRENCH .

Where abouts in Ontario does Floridian live incidentaly , it could explain some of the disparaty being given about various things .