Bill 115: Putting Students Last Act

"It worked! It really worked!" Are the thoughts going through my head right now.

Last week, the Ontario provincial government passed "Bill 115" or the "Putting Students First Act", a bill which freezes teachers' pay, cuts benefits, takes away their right to strike or dispute their contracts, and imposes a $1000+ fine on any teacher caught talking about striking.

Terrifying - I know.

In protest of this, most schools in my school board have cancelled one day a week of extracurriculars, calling them "McGuinty Mondays". My school, Bramalea, decided to cancel ALL extracurriculars. One of the mere four Peel District high schools that chose this course of action.

Being that most of Bramalea’s students come from middle to low income families, we rely heavily on our extracurriculars. Many provide services students wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, whether it be a warm meal every morning provided by the breakfast club, or the once in a life time chance to climb Mount Washington with the Bramalea Outdoor Education club.

So we decided to stage a walkout so that our voices could be heard, which came together over the weekend over facebook. I was terrified that it would be a complete flop and we would end up suspended, but it was anything but.

As you can see, there were at least 300 students and 4 news trucks (which quickly became 6 trucks).
I was absolutely flabbergasted, I had spent all night last night writing to various news outlets, but I never expected to have anything come out of it.

Again, I was wrong. I ended up being quoted in our local newspaper, interviewed by a reporter, interviewed by a radio broadcaster, and I was tracked down by the CBC reporter because of my email.

I even appeared on tv.

It was a long 5 hours, but the energy and positivity I witnessed was absolutely worth it. Students chanting "Down with 115", "Let us Play!", and "Honk for our Teachers' Rights!". Teachers secretly supporting us, whether it be by lending us a camera or making sure we were marked present. And almost every car that passed by honking in support.

If nothing else, I truly hope that our school can inspire other students to be vocal, and exercise their right as Canadians, even if our teachers can't.