Okay, folks. Let's talk teacher shortages and the premier's weird comments yesterday that there isn't one and if there was he would do something about it.
1/12
lanarkleedstoday.ca/2024/10/03/pre… First of all, the Ford govt can't seem to make up their mind. In February, @Sflecce said there is a shortage and it's a real challenge. Ford now says there isn't one. The minister's briefing binder says there will be one but only in 3 years.
2/12

Remember when @sflecce claimed that the Ottawa bus chaos last year was the fault of incompetent Ottawa school boards? Well, here's what the Deloitte report commissioned by the former Minister actually found:
1/8
#onted #onpoli "OSTA is projecting a funding gap of $7.0 million, which is derived as the difference between its amended and approved 2023-24 budget of $82.1 million and its 2023-24 funding of $75.1 million. This funding gap needs to be addressed."
2/8

Know why Stephen Lecce wants us all talking about cell phones (again)?

So that we’re not talking about how harmful his latest funding formula is for our kids.

A🧵.

1/16
#onted First off, let’s acknowledge what this is once again: a funding cut. For the sixth straight year, the Conservatives’ education funding does not keep pace with inflation or enrollment growth.

2/16🧵
#onted

I’m concerned about the growing tendency in some circles to equate #LongCovid with #MEcfs. I think this is bad for both #Longhaulers and ppl living with ME/CFS. A thread. 👇 2. Before I start, let me be clear this is not a swipe at the #MEcfs community which has been hugely supportive of #Longhaulers, sharing tips & resources & lots of moral support. I am very grateful for that support.

1. This is a thread for my fellow #Longhaulers who are about to lose access to the #CERB on Saturday. I know some are quite worried about financial supports so this is a look at your options. As you'll see, it's quite a dog's breakfast. #COVID19 #LongCOVID #ApresJ180 #cdnpoli 2. The first stop is Employment Insurance Sickness Benefits. #EI eligibility was frozen in March, so if you were employed or self-employed but paying premiums and had accumulated enough hours for eligibility, you will now transition to EI sickness benefits.

Update Day 184: The Six Monthiversary of my onset of symptoms.

I'm happy to report that three of us are asymptomatic and Kid 3's cough is so sporadic that she's nearly asymptomatic.

#COVID19 #Longhaulers #LongCovid #ApresJ180 #CovidandKids I will probably use asymptomatic for a long while rather than recovered, because as we've seen before, being symptom-free now doesn't mean they won't come back. I also remain paranoid about things like rashes & hugely swollen bug bites, although there's no reason to believe...

Journalists frequently ask me if my family is pursuing antibody testing to prove we had COVID. Draw up a chair and let me tell you why that question is so problematic.
#Longhaulers #LongCOVID #ApresJ150 #CovidAntibodies 2. A negative antibody test doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t have antibodies and it certainly doesn't mean you didn't have COVID. First of all, the accuracy of C19 antibody tests has been questioned by the CDC and others. Some C19 antibody tests have a high false negative rate.

I spoke to @maywarren11 of the @TorontoStar about the need for better research and care for Cdn #Longhaulers. One of the most fascinating nuggets in this piece is the difficulty that the CANCOV study has had finding participants:
thestar.com/news/canada/20… I'm part of three different forums with Cdn #Longhaulers, two of which have thousands of members. We all shared the information on the study as soon as we learned of it - and then we all shared the massive disappointment of discovering we could not participate.

Update Day 150 (!!!!): This one's a bit of a mixed bag. Let me start with the good news. My husband and Kid 2 are asymptomatic and have been for a couple of weeks. Kid 2's energy is back and then some.
#COVID19 #CovidLonghaul #LongHauler #ApresJ120 #CovidandKids Kid 1's only symptom is a swollen lymph node in her chest that has been stubbornly hanging on for weeks now. We took her to the osteo yesterday and by working on her neck and shoulder, the osteo managed to bring it down in size, but the bump still bothering Kid 1.

It's important that the conversation about re-opening schools and the plan to do so be based on actual facts, not magical thinking. The reality is that kids CAN get sick; kids DO get sick; and some kids get SERIOUSLY sick or remain sick for a LONG TIME. ctvnews.ca/health/parents… In that respect, the comments of Dr. Anna Banerji in this article are deeply disappointing, verging on irresponsible. She says cases of kids with chronic symptoms are extremely rare. How does she know? What data is she pointing to? What surveys or tests have been done?

There has been lots of attention on the question of whether the #CERB should be ended because it prevents ppl from working. But let’s take a moment to ask what will happen to Cdns if the CERB is not extended and #EI is not reformed. 1/ (This is a long thread, but please bear with me because the details will matter for a lot of people come September.) 2/

We got an email from the OCSB yesterday asking about our school plans for the fall. Honestly, we don't have any plans until we see their plans. But seeing what they're proposing so far, I have real concerns as a mom to three #Longhaulers. Obviously, we want to prevent our kids from getting sick. That should be our first and foremost concern. But we can't eliminate all risk, which means that some kids are going to get sick. So what happens then?

Update Day 120: Things are continuing to move in the right direction. My husband & I both had a relapse last weekend, but our progress is still evident. M. had one day of extreme fatigue and that was it. #Covid19 #CovidLonghaul #ApresJ120 #longhaul I had a couple days of pleural pain, and even then it was relatively minor and only when walking or moving too much. I got a couple skin sores, but they have been tiny and did not get infected. And that was it; no full body aches, no hugely swollen glands. A bit more fatigue....

Update Day 70: This week has been MUCH better. My skin infections are all cleared up, my energy is coming back, and other than waking up every day with a stuffed up nose and a cough that clear within an hour, I'm feeling pretty good. #ThisisCOVID19 #Covid19 We've been treating Kid 3's cough like it's asthma; we bought an air purifier and we're giving her glutathione and curcumin with the occasional Reactine. It's made a huge difference. Her cough is a lot better and so is her energy.

Update Day 55: This has been a tough week for us. My husband had a relapse of his symptoms, Kid 3's cough got worse, and I've been having some weird symptoms that may be hypokalemia? #ThisisCovid19 #Covid19 One of my frustrations is that it feels like we're on our own to figure everything out. There are no options between a phone call with our family doctor and the Emergency Room. We took Kid 3 to the Covid Care clinic, but all they told us was that it's not pneumonia.

For the past four weeks, my family has been battling the coronavirus. This New York Times piece is the most accurate description of the recovery process that I have seen. I’m on Day 30 and I’m still battling symptoms. 1/ nytimes.com/2020/04/13/opi… We have not been tested; until Day 17, we didn’t qualify for a test in Ontario because we hadn’t traveled and didn’t have contact with a known case. Then we found out from the news that one of the parents from our bus stop had been hospitalized. 2/

I have been consulting with the party on the close race here in Ottawa West-Nepean, and we have decided not to pursue a recount, although we are seeking clarification from Elections Ontario regarding an unusually high number of unmarked ballots in a few polls. Congrats to @JR_Ottawa and thanks to @Bob_Chiarelli and @Freel_Green for a great campaign.