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

Young service workers get creative as pandemic drags on

Hospitality jobs were among the first to vanish when COVID-19 forced the shuttering of many public spaces in March, and those who did return are now disappearing again with a second wave of closures hitting parts of Ontario.

Morgan Sharp

October 16th 2020

Scarcity is the point, says critic of Ford’s back-to-school fail

The Ontario government has so far used the COVID-19 pandemic to push through much of the agenda teachers unions and their backers had been fighting weeks earlier, says one critic, who warns the strategy could hasten calls for vouchers and charter schools.

Morgan Sharp

October 15th 2020

Enlist, encourage youngsters to spread public health messaging to peers, experts say

Young people don’t respond positively to being lectured about wild parties, experts say, especially when rising COVID-19 case counts among those under 40 could well be a function of their exposure to more risk.

Morgan Sharp

October 14th 2020

Pandemic squeezing younger generation

Paul Kershaw wants the tax system shifted to account more for property value and other wealth. The founder of Generation Squeeze argues this is one way to make life more affordable for younger Canadians but admits it will be a tough sell to those being asked to contribute more.

Coronavirus in Canada

Morgan Sharp

October 13th 2020

Youth in Ontario struggled to find work in September, and the work they do just got shut down

Youth employment remains furthest from pre-COVID levels among all age groups, with 15 to 24 years old much more likely to work in retail and hospitality jobs that have become more tenuous since COVID-19 hit.

Morgan Sharp

October 9th 2020

EU Thinkathon challenges Canada's youth to tackle big issues

A European Union-funded project is asking young Canadians to join an online policy development challenge to fix problems related to racism, health, climate change, gender equality and education.

Morgan Sharp

October 9th 2020

Teachers' unions, experts pan Ontario's back-to-school plan

Experts associated with Ontario’s four main education unions criticized the Ford government’s back-to-school strategy on Wednesday, warning that inadequate ventilation and insufficient spacing is aiding the spread of COVID-19.

Morgan Sharp

October 8th 2020

Young Canadians push for changes after COVID-19

Younger Canadians are more likely to think our collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic can help create a better world and support the idea of big policy changes, including universal basic income.

Coronavirus in Canada

Morgan Sharp

October 7th 2020

Young climate activists want new Green leader’s attention

Young climate activists who have recently joined the federal Greens want newly crowned leader Annamie Paul to reach out to them and push more aggressive pandemic recovery plans than she has so far laid out.

Morgan Sharp

October 6th 2020

Toronto council votes down electoral reform until at least 2026

The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed Toronto’s plan to consider a switch to ranked ballots for the 2022 municipal election off course, with city council voting 18-6 to instead look to introduce the reform in time for 2026.

Morgan Sharp

October 2nd 2020

Ontario revises COVID-19 symptom guidelines for schoolkids

School students in Ontario can return to classes after 24 hours if they only experience one possible symptom of COVID-19 and it is improving, the provincial government said Thursday as it struggles with a testing backlog.

Morgan Sharp

October 1st 2020

Federal Court to decide whether young activists can sue Ottawa over climate policy

Lawyers for 15 young Canadians suing the federal government over its role in exacerbating the harms of climate change will this week fight Ottawa’s effort to have the case thrown out.

Morgan Sharp

September 29th 2020

Toronto school shut down over COVID-19 as Ontario reports 700 more cases

Public health officials ordered the closure of a Toronto elementary school on the weekend due to a COVID-19 outbreak, while the province recorded its single highest count of positive new cases since the pandemic began.

Morgan Sharp

September 28th 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is changing how students cheat – and get caught

Academic misconduct has "skyrocketed" as more students are learning online thanks to COVID-19 campus closures. Today’s technology has made the business of cheating more sophisticated, and more profitable.

Vjosa Isai

September 28th 2020

Climate protest in the time of COVID-19

The co-ordinated global actions inspired by Swedish teen activist Greta Thunberg were much smaller than last September's massive demonstrations due to constraints imposed by the pandemic, but participants say the need for them is more urgent than ever.

Morgan Sharp

September 25th 2020