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

In Ontario, where have all the workers gone?

Ontario is straining under labour shortages in health, early childhood education, long-term care, agriculture, construction, logistics and computing, among other sectors. Why are so many jobs in the province going unfilled?

Morgan Sharp

August 17th 2022

Ontario offers school staff pay hike far below union’s proposal

The Ford government’s proposal of annual pay raises up to two per cent for its public school system’s lowest-paid workers was “disheartening,” the union representing 55,000 education assistants, library workers, custodians and other school staff said.

Morgan Sharp

August 15th 2022

Wild Outside gets young people into nature, wherever it’s found

More than two dozen teenagers paddle down the Humber River — some in a canoe for the first time — as Monica Chander and Jacob Parliament from the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s Wild Outside program help them develop their appreciation and knowledge of nature.

Morgan Sharp

August 12th 2022

Ford government offers more tutoring cash to parents as bargaining looms

The Ford government will give parents in Ontario cash for tutoring to help students recover from learning lost to more than two years of COVID-19 pandemic disruptions. Critics say they should adequately fund public education instead.

Morgan Sharp

August 9th 2022

Teens boost Canada’s summer student job market in July

The summer student job market is tracking stronger than it was in 2019, jobs data for July shows, especially for males aged 15 and 16, as many of them picked up school holiday work in an otherwise shrinking retail sector and hospitality.

Morgan Sharp

August 5th 2022

Statistics Canada fires up concerns over youth vaping

More than six in 10 Canadian teenagers and more than a quarter of young adults have never touched a cigarette, Statistics Canada says, but vaping is growing in popularity among the younger demographic.

Morgan Sharp

August 4th 2022

Climate Reality Project creating collaborative poetry, murals for climate action

Teams from the Climate Reality Project from Canada, the Philippines and across Africa are working to create collaborative poetry about the environment and climate change that they will present at the upcoming COP27 global climate conference.

Morgan Sharp

August 4th 2022

Roomies forever: Shared housing more common these days, especially among young adults

The number of roommate households has grown faster than any other living arrangement in Canada over the last decade, census data shows, and with home ownership in the Toronto area a distant dream, some young people are looking abroad for opportunities.

Morgan Sharp

August 2nd 2022

Higher prices hit different for young people

Young people are feeling the pinch of inflation more than their older counterparts, as the ever-increasing cost of living in Toronto is forcing some to rethink their plans.

Morgan Sharp

July 29th 2022

Talaria helps high school students get into scientific research

The Talaria Summer Institute gives female and genderqueer high school students a chance to work on real-world scientific research, equipping them with a clearer view of career opportunities available in typically male-dominated fields.

Morgan Sharp

July 27th 2022

Ontario’s education minister insists extracurriculars will be offered

Ontario’s education minister says the province wants to help its students deal with two years of learning loss by keeping its classrooms open and offering all extracurriculars, insisting education workers awaiting a new contract provide the voluntary time required.

Morgan Sharp

July 25th 2022

Youth of Grassy Narrows lead mercury poisoning protest through Toronto

Young people from Grassy Narrows First Nation in northern Ontario led a march through Toronto Thursday to take up the long-standing calls of their community for compensation for mercury poisoning.

Morgan Sharp

July 21st 2022

Youth less likely to vote but engaged all the same, stats agency says

Canada’s young people are less likely than older folks to vote and more likely to engage in political discussion and action, Statistics Canada says, while almost one in five people aged 15 to 30 provides long-term care to a family member or friends.

Morgan Sharp

July 21st 2022

Ottawa ponies up cash to help U of T with its carbon-positive vision

The federal government said it would provide up to $56 million to the University of Toronto to help it retrofit some of its dozens of old and energy-inefficient buildings in downtown Toronto.

Morgan Sharp

July 19th 2022

The hard road to success for skilled young immigrants

Jad Jaber is the epitome of the hard-working and highly-qualified young immigrant who Canada should be welcoming with open arms. So why is it so hard for the founder and executive director of an equity-focused non-profit to get ahead?

Morgan Sharp

July 14th 2022