Next Gen Insider

Morgan Sharp reports from Toronto on the city's young population and their civic engagement and impact on the local institutions that make democracy function.

Canada's National Observer is a proud participant of the Local Journalism Initiative, which supports the creation of original civic journalism that covers the diverse needs of underserved communities across Canada.

531 Articles

Youth jobs in Canada neared pre-COVID level in August

The latest Canadian jobs data shows the youth employment rate has finally returned to near pre-pandemic levels 18 months after COVID-19 first wreaked havoc on the retail and hospitality work young people often do.

Morgan Sharp

September 10th 2021

Indica; Omega claims space in church, under expressway

Young Black artist Ayrah Taerb delivers a rap soliloquy from the altar of Toronto’s Metropolitan United Church to a production crew and a handful of others, part of an installation performance claiming space in Toronto next month.

Morgan Sharp

September 9th 2021

NDP promises to double transit funding; youth want green jobs

The NDP’s Jagmeet Singh promises to double transit funding as he assails Justin Trudeau’s Liberals for failing on the climate crisis.

Election 2021

Morgan Sharp

September 8th 2021

The great ouster: Find lost students and woo them back to school

A significant number of children in Ontario may have disappeared from the education system since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of a global commission for education recovery says.

Morgan Sharp

September 7th 2021

The university formerly known as Ryerson drops its name

The decision to change its name comes as the university faces closer scrutiny of its namesake, whose ideas on public education helped inform the creation of the country’s residential school system.

Morgan Sharp

August 26th 2021

TDSB goes harder on COVID vaccine in schools than Ford

The trustees of the Toronto District School Board, Ontario’s and Canada’s largest school board, Wednesday night took a much stronger stance in its policy on COVID-19 vaccinations than the Ford government has, unanimously voting to insist on proof or multiple other steps to keep young people safe.

Morgan Sharp

August 26th 2021

Outspoken doctor quits group advising Doug Ford on COVID

Two weeks ahead of a long-awaited return to classrooms in Ontario, a top doctor has quit the science group advising the Ford government on COVID-19, saying it’s too close to the government and downplaying grim projections.

Morgan Sharp

August 23rd 2021

SickKids and two other Ontario children’s hospitals issue COVID vaccine mandate

The three major pediatric hospitals issued guidance tougher than the provincial directive given the unique vulnerabilities of their patients and clients, more than 70 per cent of whom cannot get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Morgan Sharp

August 19th 2021

Education workers in Ontario asked to disclose — not prove — their vaccination status

The Ford government will require workers in publicly funded Ontario schools to disclose, but not prove, their COVID-19 vaccine status. And those who say they have not gotten the shot, will be required to test regularly.

Morgan Sharp

August 17th 2021

Election 2021 is here — and young people are paying attention

The younger voters in Canada’s Sept. 20 election have particular needs they want addressed, not least a livable wage on an inhabitable planet, but the broader COVID-19 spending debate may eclipse them.

Election 2021

Morgan Sharp

August 17th 2021

Doug Ford won’t require vaccinations, but U of T will

The University of Toronto now says all who wish to walk its reopened halls must declare they are fully vaccinated or get tested twice a week, and a federation of the province’s faculty associations says the Ford government should enforce the same on all Ontario campuses.

Coronavirus in Canada

Morgan Sharp

August 12th 2021

Terence D’Souza and Katelyn Wang founded Young Ontarians United to make a ‘new normal’

The two university students behind Young Ontarians United want to arm various young communities with the data and research tools to advocate for the policies and programs they need.

Coronavirus in Canada

Morgan Sharp

August 11th 2021

Youth substance use down since COVID-19, but mental health issues spike

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected young people, with a major study of their behaviour over time showing that learning from home meant students were less likely to smoke cigarettes, vape, binge drink or use cannabis, but much more likely to be anxious or depressed.

Coronavirus in Canada

Morgan Sharp

August 9th 2021

Young workers boost Canada’s July jobs numbers

Young people made some of Canada’s largest employment gains in July, jobs data shows, as their part-time work in service industries returned with the lifting of public health restrictions.

Morgan Sharp

August 6th 2021

Ontario court rejects government bid to defund student unions

Doug Ford's attempt to defund student unions has been rejected by an Ontario appeals court, with the judge ruling the effort was “a profound interference in university autonomy.”

Morgan Sharp

August 4th 2021