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

Tenant group declares partial victory as Ford government announces plan to freeze rents

The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations cheers as Ford government moves to freeze rent increases in 2021, but still fears surge in evictions of those unable to pay now.

Morgan Sharp

August 28th 2020

Toronto rally to push for paid sick leave set for Saturday

The call for more paid sick leave becomes especially urgent as schools prepare to reopen and governments and health authorities urge parents to keep children home if they have COVID-19 symptoms.

Morgan Sharp

August 28th 2020

Toronto area youth invited to join climate action accelerator

A Toronto area project to engage youth in climate action is upping its game with a new accelerator program to help develop the solid ideas of young people into green businesses and social enterprises.

Morgan Sharp

August 28th 2020

COVID-19 hits your school. Now what?

The Ford government released its guidance for the province’s school boards and public health units to deal with outbreaks of COVID-19 in schools on Wednesday, and it doesn’t require a negative test result before students or staff are allowed back.

Morgan Sharp

August 26th 2020

Ottawa sending Ontario $381 million for school reopening plans

The two-part federal payment is part of a $2-billion plan announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday. Trudeau dodged questions about whether his government believes provincial plans are adequate.

August 26th 2020

Ontario Labour Ministry says it's 'neutral' in feud over school reopening plan

Ontario’s Labour Ministry is judging the health and safety conditions of the province’s schools on a case-by-case basis and aims to be a neutral arbitrator between the Education Ministry and teacher unions worried about the province’s back-to-school plans.

Morgan Sharp

August 25th 2020

School bus drivers add to chorus of back-to-school concerns

School bus drivers from Toronto and surrounding cities added to criticism of the provincial government’s back-to-school plan on Tuesday, saying they have not been adequately prepared.

Morgan Sharp

August 25th 2020

As back-to-school looms, what legal options do Ontario’s teachers have?

As the return to school looms, teachers and their unions can draw on several legal avenues if they feel unsafe in the classroom or unable to work due to the pandemic.

Morgan Sharp

August 24th 2020

Green Party leadership contenders seek to woo youth

The nine contenders jostling to replace Elizabeth May as leader of Canada’s federal Green party sought to win over its young members on Sunday in a debate arranged by its youth council.

Morgan Sharp

August 24th 2020

Ontario student says school’s inaction exacerbated hallway racism

When photographs of a younger Justin Trudeau wearing blackface and brownface emerged during the 2019 federal election campaign, it emboldened students at one school to replicate them, a student says. When the school did little in response, the racism flourished.

Morgan Sharp

August 21st 2020

Ottawa updates COVID-19 worker benefits, lets student aid expire

The federal Liberal government says it will transfer workers who lost work due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have been receiving emergency benefits onto new recovery versions of employment insurance, but will let benefits for students expire.

Morgan Sharp

August 20th 2020

University students building peer support to battle isolation

Students at the University of Toronto and Lakehead University in Thunder Bay are building resources to help their peers deal with the isolation of remote learning and reduce the stigma related to poor mental health.

Morgan Sharp

August 20th 2020

Climate youth remind power they’re watching, but their attention is divided

The young campaigners from the Fridays for Future movement dropped banners outside the Queen’s Park provincial legislature and city hall in Toronto, as well as near Parliament in Ottawa and sites in Montreal and Edmonton on Wednesday.

Morgan Sharp

August 12th 2020

High school students see learning at risk with part-time classes

High school students in Toronto say they worry about online learning and how vaguely they’ve been kept apprised of logistics for the half-days they’ll be attending classes physical and virtual when schools reopen in September.

Morgan Sharp

August 12th 2020

Toronto police arrest, charge, use force against way more Black people

The Ontario Human Rights Commission’s second interim report shows Toronto police are much more likely to detain, charge, arrest, beat or kill a Black person despite charges often being withdrawn, which it says “raises systemic concerns about charging practices.”

Morgan Sharp

August 10th 2020