Allowing government to parent our children is a serious mistake

Tax burdens and living costs prevent most intact parental couples from raising their children at home

Allowing government to parent our children is a serious mistakeWhat would be better – children conceived by random intercourse and raised by the state, or children raised by their parents in the same household? Plato, the Greek philosopher from ancient times, said the former; and whether we realize it or not, his philosophy has dragged public policy for decades. “Our men and women,” Plato…

Community key to providing support for children

Giving children the tools and skills to enter school with their “best foot forward

Community key to providing support for childrenDespite what many first-time parents may wish for, kids don’t come with instruction manuals. Even seemingly straightforward developmental milestones, like when to introduce solid food, can vary across countries. And when it comes to language development, things get even more complicated. It can be challenging to gauge what is just a child’s creativity and what…

Experts weigh in on sedentary behaviour in schools

Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at a desk

Experts weigh in on sedentary behaviour in schoolsWe know that school kids spend too much time sitting at their desks. Now we have some evidence-based recommendations to counter that sedentary behaviour. They offer guidelines to educators, parents and caregivers to help school-aged children grow and thrive. “It kind of challenges traditional views of learning,” said Valerie Carson. “Learning doesn’t always need to happen sitting at…

B.C. is long on childcare promises, short on delivery

Provincial mismanagement and disrespect for childcare operators has finally hit a boiling point

B.C. is long on childcare promises, short on delivery“I jump through the flaming hoops of death and I’m beyond frustrated.” This is one British Columbia childcare provider’s description of the circus the government is running regarding the administration of childcare. B.C. parents looking forward to $10-a-day childcare are in for disappointment. Provincial mismanagement of childcare and disrespect for childcare operators has been going…

Why we should ignore teen advice on policy issues

Teenagers have virtually no life experience and no expertise but are feted as if they were Einstein

Why we should ignore teen advice on policy issuesBy Mark Milke and Martin Mrazik The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy The war on Ukraine instigated by Russian President Vladimir Putin should be a reminder that adults and their experiences and judgments matter, i.e. thinking through whether we wish to go to war with Russia. However obvious that seems, in recent years – on…

The best childcare solution is to fund families directly

That way, parents will be able to afford the kind of care that best meets their needs

The best childcare solution is to fund families directlyWe’ve all seen the headlines about Ontario being the only province not to sign on to the federal childcare plan. The Liberal Party of Ontario drew attention to this again recently, announcing that if it formed a government in June after the next provincial election, the province would send families a retroactive payment of $2,750…

New treatment could benefit patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Treatment acts like a Band-Aid for mutations, allowing the body to rebuild muscle tissue

New treatment could benefit patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophyUp to 45 per cent of patients with the most common inherited neuromuscular disease could benefit from a new “cocktail” drug being developed at the University of Alberta, according to research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The drug could provide an effective and economical treatment to lessen symptoms for the six of…

Learning sessions help teen heart patients prepare for the adult world

One-on-one sessions give teens knowledge and skills to make a successful transition out of pediatric care

Learning sessions help teen heart patients prepare for the adult worldAn 18th birthday means grown-up privileges and adult opportunities. For teens with congenital heart disease, it also brings an abrupt end to their time in the pediatric medical system and the uncomfortable new reality of taking responsibility for their health. But doctors and researchers at the University of Alberta and Stollery Children’s Hospital aim to…

How did Norway come to dominate the Winter Olympics?

It focuses on making sports fun for their young people

How did Norway come to dominate the Winter Olympics?As I write this, Norway is tied for second in total medals and gold medals at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Norwegians are projected to take home 45 medals by the end of these Games, surpassing the 39 they won at the 2018 Winter Olympics. That total was way above those for the United States,…

Professionalization of youth sports hurts our kids and society

Kids become performers in a spectacle, under the authoritarian oversight of the head coach

Professionalization of youth sports hurts our kids and societyEducational, physical, emotional and spiritual developmental goals for youth and high school sports programs are increasingly being brushed aside by win-at-all-costs and profit-at-all-costs ethos. The professionalization of youth sports organizations, our ‘little leagues,’ is appalling. Adults – parents and coaches – treat youth sports like the big-time pro and college versions. Kids quickly learn from…