"Me want skool!" is good enough for the Toronto District School Board

The Toronto District School Board (hereinafter "TDSB") is the wokest in the fairyland of Canuckistan. And in a country which includes such hotbeds of wokeism as the Waterloo Region District School Board which forbids any discussion of gender ideology, pronouns or sex change operations * [Isn't there a more PC name for that? Ed.], that's really saying something.

The TDSB is not only the wokest in the land, but the biggest. Its catchment area encompasses numerous "ethnic" neighbourhoods, including Little India, the notorious Jane-Finch `hood, and a part of Scarborough which, to look at it, is majority Chinese... and so it is.

The ultra-progressive TDSB is all in favour of DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) of course. As Mr Socks sez, "Diversity is our strength!" (Cue guffaws from most Canadians. See "Shocking news: Majority of Canucks think diversity is causing problems!", WWW 25/11/23. To serve various diverse sections of the community, the Board has established several dozen Central Student Interest Programmes (CSIP), both at the secondary (opens in a new tab)and elementary (opens in a new tab)level, including those specializing in arts, athletics, science, math and many others. 

But it seems some groups need a little more equity than others. According to the TDSB website, 20% per cent of the spaces in CSIP are reserved for students who are Black, Indigenous, Latin American and Middle Eastern, while 50% cent of the spaces in math, science and technology programmes are for students self-identifying as female.

That doesn't sit well with the Chinese community (or the south Asians, for that matter), who, along with the "old stock Canadians" (read: palefaces), are regarded as "privileged", thus not deserving of extra help. Trustee Weidong Pei of Ward 12, Willowdale, told CTV News Toronto the policy doesn't address the socio-economic barriers standing in the way of enriched education, but instead creates more division in schools and waters down talent. 

What to do? The performance-based process of entry, which had been criticized for "favouring students from wealthier families" (read: racist!) had to go. So, in 2022, the Board trustees voted to move away from a model that only accepts those with demonstrated strength and/or ability, by removing all tests, exams, auditions and grade-entry requirements from CSIP applications.

In came the new, woker, "interest-based model", which is now "under review". Trustee James Li of Ward 13, Don Valley North,  told CTV, "When we implemented the program in 2023, we didn't ask the students to prove or demonstrate anything. We only asked the students to write their name down, which was disappointing." Now, he continued, "We expect them to demonstrate that they're interested in [an enriched programme] to the point where they want to go above and beyond the curriculum, and they're ready and willing to work towards it.”

Mr Pei calls the expression of interest requirement "meaningless". "The formal expression of interest is not being evaluated. An entry consisting of 'Me want skool' is given the same weight as a student filming themselves playing 'Flight of the Bumblebee' on the tuba!

"Everybody I know, including me, is concerned about socio-economic barriers, but the policies don’t adjust for socio-economics, they use self-identified race as a proxy for socio-economics. The average Asian family's income at TDSB is below the overall average of TDSB families, and South Asians' incomes are even lower. Yet Asian families are considered a privileged group."

Ah so... but Messrs Pei and Li should know that in Emperor Justin's Canada, affirmative action (read: reverse racism) is the New Equity. So let it be preached. So let it be done.

* See "Court victory for teacher silenced for transgender-book criticism", National Post, 25/11/23. 

Shocking news: Majority of Canucks think diversity is causing problems!

Here's something we were surprised to see in one of Canada's "legacy" (read" state-supported) newspapers. Still, at least the National Post's Tristin Hopper had the cojones to touch it. You wouldn't find it in the Toronto Red Star or the Groan and Wail.

[What IS it?! Ed.] OK, OK.... Blackie McBlackface, Prime Minister of All Canuckistan, has been repeating for over a decade the mantra that "Diversity is our strength!" Canadians are sick, sore and tired of being told that by Mr Socks and his lickspittle media. What's more, the majority of them don't believe it.

What's more, the Hamas-Israel war has fuelled a growing anti-immigrant backlash. Not all immigrants, you understand. Just those who bring with them the sectarian wars of the Middle East and Africa. According to a Leger-Postmedia poll, cited in this NatPo article, there has been a significant increase in the number who believe non-permanent residents who express hate towards minorities or support for terrorist groups should be deported from Canada

The poll finds that the majority of Canadians, both white and "other", call BS on "Diversity is our strength!", and believe that diversity can bring “problems” as well as benefits. Look at this.

The poll found a majority of respondents also endorsed the notion that newcomers should be encouraged to embrace Canada's values and traditions, and discard whatever cultural identity is incompatible with that.

51% of responders agreed with the statement that Canadian authorities "should do more to ensure newcomers accept Canadian values." An even higher proportion (55%) endorsed the notion that Canada's immigration policy should be premised on "encouraging newcomers to embrace broad mainstream values and traditions," and leaving behind any beliefs "that may be incompatible with that."

For starters, Walt recommends encouraging businesses and the media to stop using the phrase "Happy Holidays", and encouraging newcomers to exchange "Merry Christmas" wishes with old stock Canadians. I could go on. [Next time. Ed.] 

How was YOUR Thanksgiving?

 No, this is not a photo of Walt. Ed.

UPDATED: Congrats to Geert Wilders on stunning election victory

The usual gang of One-Worlders, ComSymps and other loonie leftists are crying in their Heineken, Amstel and Oranjeboom (look it up) tonight as the final count in yesterday's parliamentary elections in the Netherlands confirms a hyuge victory for the "far-right", "anti-Islam", "neoNazi", yada yada yada Geert Wilders and his PPV (Party for Freedom).

In one of the biggest political upsets in Dutch politics since World War II, Dhr Wilders' Freedom Party beat all expectations, winning 37 seats out of 150. That's more than double the number the PVV in the last election. A joint Labour/Green (read: leftist) ticket got 25 seats, just one more than the conservative People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) of outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte. 

Dhr Wilders will now have to form a coalition, which is normal in Dutch politics with its multiplicity of competing parties. Talks on who will be included are expected to take months, since the sore losers on the left declared well in advance of the election that they would never co-operate in any way with the man they call "the Dutch Trump".

Dhr Wilders' win came as a shock warning to mainstream parties across Europe ahead of European Parliament elections due next June. The issues in at least the western part of Europe are the same as those which were fought out in the Dutch election: immigration, the high cost of living, the so-called "climate crisis" - "Kill all the cows to save the Earth from global warming" -- and did we mention immigration and what to do with all the Muslims.

The Dutch election result is another sign of the resurgence of the Right across the continent. Most recently there was the election of Giorgia Meloni as prime minister of Italy. Now Dhr Wilders is set to become the first-ever rightist prime minister of the Netherlands. Then we await 2027 and the inevitable election of Marine Le Pen as the first female président of France. Lifetime pct .980.

Further reading (posted 25/11/23): "Did Israel-Palestine protests propel Geert Wilders to victory?" by Freddy Gray, Deputy Editor of The Spectator, 24/11/23. Key takeaway: "...anti-immigration politics is the most potent force in twenty-first century western democracies."

Quote of the week: "The average person doesn’t want to close all doors to refugees and immigrants, but they also don’t want to divert large quantities of public resources to newcomers who disproportionately erode the safety and security of everyone else while soaking up undeserved social benefits." (Jamie Sarkonak, in "Fed up with climate zealotry and immigration, the Dutch lurch to the right", National Post, 26/11/23.)

Wut?

Let me get this straight. While Trudeau's minions on the pretty side of the Niagara River were operating under the assumption that yesterday's vehicle explosion (my emphasis) at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls was "terror-related", their counterparts in the Paranoid States of America, directed by NY Governor Kathy Hochul (D) are now saying there is "no indication of a terrorist attack" at this time.

In a statement released late yesterday, FBI Buffalo said, [it] "has concluded our investigation at the scene of the Rainbow Bridge incident. A search of the scene revealed no explosive materials, and no terrorism nexus was identified. The matter has been turned over to the Niagara Falls Police Department as a traffic investigation."

Wur? A "traffic investigation"? Really?!

Walt's crack incident reconstruction team [meaning me. Ed.] has sifted through the multiplicity of eyewitness statements, police statements, CBP statements, FBI statements, yada yada yada, to compile this timeline.

A "Western New York man" -- so far unnamed -- and his wife cross the Rainbow Bridge yesterday morning to attend the KISS concert scheduled for Toronto in the evening. Apparently they were unaware that the Tuesday night concert in Ottawa had been cancelled, owing to the illness (from "flu") of singer-guitarist Paul Stanley, and the Toronto concert was also scrubbed.

So, the disgruntled American couple went back across the bridge in a huff [a minute and a huff? Ed.] or perhaps it was a Bentley, always a great concert-going car. Then, perhaps maddened by having to pay the toll for nothing, they drive home -- location so far unrevealed -- load up the Bentley with enough explosives to blow up... errr... something large*, and tear back through beautiful downtown Niagara Falls (NY) at speeds of 100 mph. Those who know the alleged city will tell you that, in itself, is a pretty good trick.

Then, instead of turning into the Rainbow Bridge entry lanes, where the only checkpoint or obstruction to entering Canada is the toll-booth, they aim the vehicle at the United States CBP facility on the southerly side of the plaza. 

The 13 or 14 booths referred to by Ms Hochul (see yesterday's post) are there to intercept travellers coming into the USA. Someone trying to get into Canada from that side would encounter a forest of "wrong way" signs, fences and other barriers. Of course if you were flying through the air, you'd miss them... or most of them.

The vehicle hit one of the booths and exploded in a rather large ball of flame -- much too large to have been caused by a malfunctioning EV battery, or even a tankful of cheap American gas. Initial reports said the car was "packed with explosives", but nothing has been said about that since the FBI took over the investigation.

Meanwhile, the Rainbow Bridge remains closed. (The other three bridges across the Niagara River have been reopened.) After all, it was only a traffic accident... right? Is there anythiing else about which your Democratic government can reassure you today?

* Further reading: "Activist darling of the leftist media arrested for allegedly trying to ‘firebomb’ an Israeli company in New Jersey", American Thinker, 22/11/23 (same day as the Rainbow Bridge "traffic accident")

VIDEO: "Allahu akbar!" at Niagara Falls??? Questions arise

One of Walt's agents says that nothing ever happens in Niagara Falls NY. All the action, he claims, is on the pretty side of the river. Today was different. For those who missed it, we have some video from security cameras at the US side of The World's Longest Undefended Border (TM) crossing, timestamped about 1120 EST today.

What, dear reader, was your initial reaction to that video. Did you think it was probably just an accident? No biggie! Nothing here to see, folks!

That's the official party line [the Liberal Party and the Democratic Party. Ed.], which was rushed into print and onto the Web within a couple of hours of the "serious incident". The Powers That Be had to start the gaslighting PDQ because "right-wing" media had already starting using the T-word -- T as in Terrorism.

The T-word has been scrubbed from all the early reports in the lickspittle media, because in recent years people in Europe and North America have, for some strange reason, come to associate terrorism with the Religion of Peace (TM), Muslim jihadis, and, since last October 7th, Hamas. 

In Canada, the bought-and-paid-for media have been enjoined (by Bill M-106) from saying or writing anything that would stoke the fires of Islamophobia. See "If Canadians are Islamophobic, perhaps there's a reason", WWW 27/7/21. Most of the American media are no better.

But I digress. Here's what is known [admitted? Ed.] about what happened. The vehicle came from U.S. side of the border, travelled along Main Street at speeds estimated at 100 MPH, then became airborne and crashed into a US Customs and Border Patrol booth before bursting into flames. 

Two people in the vehicle that exploded were declared dead at the scene, and officials have said a third person believed to be a border employee was injured and taken to hospital, but has since been released. One of the occupants of the vehicle has been identified (but not named) as "a resident of western New York." 

Karen Kathy Hochul, the Democratic Governor of the Empire State, had this to say about that, "At this time there is no indication of a terrorist involved attack here at the Rainbow Bridge in Western New York." (My emphasis. Walt)

Later, Governor Hochul amplified her analysis. "If you can imagine this vehicle basically incinerated. Nothing is left but the engine. The pieces are scattered over 13, 14 booths. So it is a large scene, and it's going to take a lot of time… to be able to piece together the real story... It has not been determined to be an accident. You don't know whether the driver was intentional in how they drove… All I know is there was a horrific incident. A crash, an explosion, loss of life, but at this time, no known terrorist connection." 

I have some questions I'd like to ask.

* If the car wasn't "packed" with explosives" (as a law enforcement officer said before being silenced), what caused it to burst into flame? Even an EV wouldn't do that.

* How did police identify the "resident of western New York" whose body parts were "scattered over 13, 14 booths" by the force of the blast? And if his identity is known, why hasn't his name [not "Mohammed", surely! Ed.] and other information been released? 

* First reports said the vehicle was trying to get into the USA. It's clear from the videos that the opposite is true. So, if the occupants of the vehicle were trying to get out of the USA, why was that? 

* Were they on the run? From what? Or were they trying to get into Canada, to terrorize its famously Islamophile prime minister?

* Is it possible the deceased weren't Muslims, but Jews? (Just kidding.)

That's enough questions for today. Fortunately for Governor Hochul and all the other Authorities, whose ability to secure the World's Longest Etc border now seem even more suspect, the promised investigation will now have to wait until after the holiday weekend. Happy Thanksgiving, everone!

True Facts about the first American Thanksgiving

Today Walt can reveal that what you were taught about pilgrims, pumpkins and Plymouth was fake news! Historian Rodney Kite Powell of the Tampa Bay History Center gives the credit for the first Thanksgiving celebration to Spanish soldiers and missionaries who, along with Native Americans, thanked God for His mercies, especially safe travel and arrival. 

This was on 8 September 1565, in... wait for it... St. Augustine, Florida! Yes, we have a picture... well, a painting, actually.

Those involved were all part of the expedition to the New World of Dom Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. There were around 800 crew members. and a variety of people -- not just Spaniards, but people from from all over Europe -- who were trying to create a settlement in Florida, and whose efforts were ultimately crowned with success. To celebrate, a Roman Catholic Mass and Te Deum were celebrated on the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Don Pedro came ashore amid the sounding of trumpets, artillery salutes, and the firing of cannons to claim the land for King Philip II and Spain. The ship's chaplain, Fr. Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales, chanted the Te Deum, the Church's great hymn of Thanksgiving, traditionally attributed to St. Ambrose of Milan, and presented a crucifix which Don Pedro ceremoniously kissed.

After that, 500 soldiers, 200 sailors and 100 families and artisans, along with the Timucuan Indians who inhabited the region, celebrated the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in gratitude to God, after which a thanksgiving feast was shared by the Indians and the Spaniards.

The second American Thanksgiving occurred on April 30, 1598, when Spanish explorer Don Juan de Onate requested the Franciscan friars to offer a Mass of Thanksgiving, after which he formally proclaimed "La Toma" (The Capture), claiming the land north of the Rio Grande for the King of Spain. The men feasted on duck, goose, and fish from the river. Some of the Spaniards dressed in costume and presented a play.

Even at Plymouth Rock in the Massachusetts Colony, where the Pilgrims later landed in 1620, Squanto, the Indian who organized their first Thanksgiving, was a Catholic. He had been enslaved by the English, but was freed by Spanish Franciscans and subsequently received the Catholic Sacrament of Baptism.

Catholics and all Americans should remember that the word "Thanksgiving" is also Catholic, from the Greek "Eucharistia", referring not to turkey with all the trimmings, but to the Heavenly Bread, the Catholic Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.