ULTIMATE IMPROV

Dear friends!

Happy September! Before discussing my new projects with the Ontario Justice Education Network, I would like to say a word about our flagship project of the past school year: the first 100% French Charter Challenge!

As you know, the project was a tremendous success. 391 students representing 28 schools from across the province participated. 76 completed the project and submitted a factum, the state of the art brief that is used at the Ontario Court of Appeal.

You can find more information about the program here: https://ojen.ca/fr/program/defi-de-la-charte

The finalists were Camille Gilbert from Renaissance School in Aurora and Conrad B. Piché from Saint Charles Garnier School in Whitby.

The final was judged by Justice Thorburn of the Ontario Court of Appeal, Taylor Wormington, Clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal and Sarah Gagnon, Clerk at the Ottawa Superior Court of Justice.

The panel said they were “very, very impressed” with the finalists. Madam Justice Thorburn said it was "rare that we have such strong litigants". The judges placed particular emphasis on the oral skills of the two finalists, on the excellence of the organization of the briefs, on the relevance of the examples used and on the creativity of the argumentation.

Madam Justice Thorburn said she has tried a number of mock trials over the past 15 years, in English or French, in person or by teleconference, and this was unequivocally one of the best.

You can watch the hearing here: https://lnkd.in/e3ERQ3rW

In addition, you can read the blog posts in which our finalists described how they lived this experience:
https://lnkd.in/eN6pJrkk
https://lnkd.in/e5ftGZTw

You can also download their briefs here: https://ojen.ca/fr/program/defi-de-la-charte

Finally, you can discover our new francophone Youth Leadership Team here: https://lnkd.in/eQKBb_dX

These amazing young people are already working hard to make the second francophone Défi de la Charte even better than the first.

Stay tuned!

Looking forward to hearing from you soon!

Défi de la Charte printemps 2021: audience finale Le Défi de la Charte amène les étudiants de 11e et 12 année du secondaire à explorer des questions sociales complexes en utilisant des scénarios d’appel fict...

One benefit of the global quarantine is that one can enjoy European cities' architecture like never before. Take a look of this video that my father has shot in my hometown of Lyon, France.

Lyon au temps du confinement Images des rues du centre de Lyon filmées fin mars début avril 2020. Musique : sonate N°20 de Schubert (andantino)

Hello my friends,

I hope you are all well.

I have the pleasure to announce you that I will be running to be elected a UNIVERSITY-ROSEDALE delegate for Alvin Tedjo in the upcoming Ontario Liberal Party Leadership Election Meeting on Sunday, February 9th.

Why do I support Alvin Tedjo?

Don't get me wrong, it's not that the other candidates are weak. No matter who wins, they'll be a great leader and I'll be happy to work hard to help them beat the Doug Ford Conservatives in the next Provincial elections.

But Alvin brings to the table what I value the most in politics: the courage to challenge the partisan status quo.

A father of three children who are all attending Catholic schools. Alvin is a proud practicing Catholic. Yet he plans to make public Catholic schools secular and open to everyone. For students, this change would mean the convenience of attending their closest school and less time on the bus. For teachers and early childhood educators, it would mean smaller class sizes, availability of more resources and the freedom to teach in any publicly funded school.

This change that politicians from all stripes deem impossible is highly recommended by all experts. According to Charles Pascal, a former Ontario Deputy Minister of Education and professor at OISE: “Providing Catholic education with public money is an anachronism waiting to be brought to an end by a courageous Queen’s Park legislature.”

Quebec, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador have already done this. It’s time for Ontario to make a change and stop spending precious education dollars to maintain twice as many school boards as we actually need.

But that's only the icing on the cake.

Here's what really matters.

Alvin wants to see massive changes to our child care system.

Childcare has become so unaffordable that 80 per cent of Ontario families with children under four years old cannot afford the cost of licensed child care. There are only enough licensed spaces to accommodate 23 per cent of kids under the age of four. This is just not good enough. Many families are paying mortgage-level fees to access licensed childcare, and many more families can’t afford childcare at all.

High-quality universal licenced childcare can support better education outcomes for school aged children, improve social cohesion, take pressure off the family budget, and above all else, boost Ontario’s economy by giving families, and particularly women, the option of returning to the workplace sooner, leading to increased economic productivity as well as additional tax revenues for the government.

The consensus among experts and economists is that for every dollar invested in quality early childhood education, there is a $2.40 return to the economy.

A study by Deloitte estimates that by addressing the wage gap, Ontario government revenues from personal and sales tax could increase by $2.6 billion. The same study also estimates that government spending on social assistance, tax credits, and child benefits could decrease by $103 million, due to the projected increase in families’ income.

Alvin also plans to implement the Basic Income pilot program that was in place when the Liberal government was defeated.

Fighting poverty isn’t a partisan issue, at least it shouldn’t be. And it’s not an idea owned by progressives either. There have been nearly 500 studies on basic income, including pilots in Ontario and around the world.

Ontario’s Universal Basic Income would add over $10 billion to Ontario’s economy, create up to 80,000 jobs, and save the Ontario government hundreds of millions of dollars in administration costs and red tape. UBI grows the economy and unlocks opportunity for those stuck in the poverty cycle.

This basic income would replace programs more difficult and expensive to administer, like Ontario Works and ODSP, while retaining additional benefits and supports for people with disabilities. This brings dignity to our system, so people don’t need to justify the need for food, clothing, or shelter every two weeks.

The benefits of a universal basic income are well established. It provides a safety net for workers who lost their jobs that is less expensive to administer and easier to access than our current system.

In all these issues, Alvin never take the easy partisan road, by promoting ideological narratives that appeal at the gut level to Liberals.

Instead he choses to focus on evidence based policies meant to improve dramatically the way our Province functions.

Hugh Segal, an intellectual giant within the Progressive Conservative movement, has endorsed Alvin.

It speaks volumes about what Alvin is setting out to do.

He wants change at just about every level. Not change for the sake of change but change to bring about a society that meets the needs of everyday people.

I believe it's something worth fighting for.

I hope you'll join me in this new exciting adventure.

Take care.

Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas, Buon Natale, 聖誕快樂, Frohe Weihnachten, Feliz Natal, Wesołych Swiąt, Bесело Різдво & Feliz Navidad to all our Friends around the World!

Lauren & Thomas

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill

Procuration Macron | En Marche ! Chaque vote compte. Donnez procuration avec En Marche !

"We're not the slightest bit offended. In fact, we're accustomed to being underestimated. Just a few days ago LeBron James said he was looking forward to play the Heat - a team that is now golfing. Dwyane Wade thought he could take practice shots during our national anthem. Well we showed him how we feel about that."

Proud of our Mayor! Proud of our City! Proud of our Raptors!

"The comedy is hilarious, the action is brisk, the entire cast is top-notch and Simpson is absolutely wonderful." Christopher HOILE

http://www.stage-door.com/Theatre/Current_Reviews/Entries/2016/5/14_Le_Placard.html

I suggest you purchase your ticket now before everything is sold out!

http://theatrefrancais.com/shows/le-placard-the-closet/

Pignon looks at the world as an outsider and Simpson conveys, primarily through his expressive face both the wish that Pignon has to belong and the melancholy that he never will be accepted. Simpson gives a performance to cherish and any lover of theatre, French-speaking or not, should make sure to see him in a role that he has made his own.

Christopher HOILE

http://www.stage-door.com/Theatre/Current_Reviews/Entries/2016/5/14_Le_Placard.html

Always a pleasure to perform with Young Jesters Birthday Parties! The imagination of the kids is boundless and it's great to be able to bring their suggestions to life!

Young Jesters We are an international group of professional actors specializing in bringing unique and interactive shows and workshops out of the traditional theatre into workplaces, homes, schools, community centres, parks and as part of corporate and community events, birthday parties, wedding receptions, stree…

Behold our 'world class city' this morning! The 'stand back' sign is ironic in many ways! John Tory has been elected to fix our transit system. Yet fares are still going up, service is going down and we're now dangerously close from complete gridlock. Yet our Mayor felt entitled to fly to Los Angeles to attend the Oscars. Because you know, priorities...

The subway this morning, AFTER most of the people have left the station to take shuttle bus or to walk to work. Please note the 'stand back' sign. Funny eh? You know what else is funny? This happened BEFORE the first snow flakes fell. Do you imagine what would have happened without relief shuttles? John Tory has been elected to get Toronto moving again. And he felt entitled to attend the Oscars?

步步高升 / 步步高陞 A steady rise to high places! New year goodness to everyone and in particular to my fellow monkeys. For those who don't know us, here's who are are: lively, quick-witted, curious, innovative and mischievous, our general image is of always being smart, clever and intelligent. In addition, our gentleness and honesty bring us an everlasting love life. Although we were born with enviable skills, we still have several shortcomings, such as an impetuous temper and a tendency to look down upon others.

C'est pas à un vieux singe qu'on apprend à faire des grimaces! :)

Almost 3.000.000.000 views! You haven't watched it yet? Watch it it's only 2:25 minutes. You already watched it and liked it? Watch it again, click on thumbs up and write a positive comment! You already watched it and didn't like it? Watch it again, click on thumbs down and write a negative comment! There is no such thing as bad publicity! :) https://youtu.be/-ONI4jvjcE8

EXTANT JESTERS HARASSING THEATRE TEACHER Short video part of the 'theatreland' serie of topical improvisations performed by the Extant Jesters. Courte vidéo de la série 'theatreland', ensemble d'iim...