Brendan Kennedy
TorontoStar
Toronto, ON, Canada
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Recent articles by Brendan:
Canada’s use of criminal jails for immigration detainees violates Charter, lawsuit alleges
Potential class-action launched against the federal government on behalf of two former detainees who suffered from post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression as a result of their detention. → Read More
Ford government ‘isn’t even trying’: Dream of fully accessible Ontario by 2025 out of reach, disability advocates say
With the fate of Ontario’s accessibility law at stake, next month’s election is being called the “most pivotal” for the province’s 2.6 million people with disabilities. → Read More
‘It’s not poverty, it’s destitution’: Advocates plead for increase to disability support payments
“I am constantly made to feel like a second-class citizen,” said Michael Iacovone, a 32-year-old university student with spina bifida. → Read More
Ontario’s ‘secrecy’ when closing youth jails hurt Indigenous teens, ombud finds
Plans to abruptly shutter youth jails in 2021 were “shrouded in secrecy,” writes provincial Ombudsman Paul Dubé in a 60-page report, released Tuesday. → Read More
Why did Durham’s school board remove this Indigenous children’s book from its libraries?
The Durham District School Board recently pulled several books from its libraries, including “The Great Bear” by David A. Robertson, an award-winning Indigenous author. → Read More
Child-care deal for Ontario ‘happy news’ for families, but will there be enough spots?
Advocates, analysts applaud the deal but are skeptical that spaces can meet demand, and that promised wage increases can attract enough workers. → Read More
Supreme Court hearing to put ‘mass’ Indigenous incarceration in the spotlight
Advocates say if case is upheld it could help reduce the number of Indigenous people behind bars. → Read More
COVID-19 is ‘raging’ up north, as several First Nations communities fight their toughest battles of the pandemic
“There is the sense that the south is putting the pandemic behind them, but for us the pandemic is not over,” says doctor in Sioux Lookout health authority. → Read More
With deadline looming, why hasn’t Ontario signed a child-care deal yet?
With the end of the fiscal year looming — which could mean losing this year’s funds — and parents in other provinces already seeing reduced fees, the clock is ticking for Ford’s government. → Read More
‘It feels like people don’t see my life as worthy of protecting’
As Ontario lifts pandemic restrictions, immunocompromised and other vulnerable people feel left out of the party. → Read More
What role did Ukraine’s desire to join NATO play in Putin’s decision to invade the country?
Russia sees NATO as an existential threat, as its membership has expanded eastward and now includes several former Soviet countries. → Read More
Does China support the Russian invasion of Ukraine?
The Chinese government has criticized sanctions against Russia, and said it ‘understands Russia’s legitimate security concerns‘ regarding NATO. → Read More
Nurses to get $5,000 bonus, union says
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health would not confirm the government had agreed to the bonus. → Read More
Slaight Family Foundation donates $15 million to charities supporting women and girls
The foundation’s grants will help fund programs with a particular focus on Indigenous, Black, refugee and immigrant women. → Read More
Toronto health workers say they’re exhausted, frustrated and demoralized by threat of ‘hateful’ protests
“How did we get to a place where a health worker has to fear for their safety just while they’re going to work?” asked palliative care physician Dr. Naheed Dosani. → Read More
Cash-for-coyotes hunting contest deemed legal, but animal rights groups say Ontario ignoring its own laws
Chesher’s Outdoor Store in Belleville awards cash and merchandise prizes to hunters who kill the heaviest coyotes. Provincial laws ban the incentivized killing of animals. → Read More
Ontario’s Omicron death toll on the rise and getting worse
Mounting fatalities come as province grapples with highest number of COVID hospitalizations, rising long-term-care outbreaks and crushing staff shortages. → Read More
Calls grow for return to 10-day isolation period for COVID-19
“There was no scientific or medical reason to shorten the isolation period to five days,” said Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, a family doctor in Ottawa. → Read More
Confusion reigns as daycares, parents sort through latest COVID rules
Public health units will no longer dismiss whole daycare cohorts based on a single confirmed case, but some operators say the new rules are unsafe. → Read More
Parents want COVID tests for kids in daycare as potential staff shortages loom
“The sector is really in the biggest crisis that we’ve been in since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Amy O’Neil, of Treetop Children’s Centre. → Read More