Editorial

Sudbury and Northern Ontario were hotbeds of news last week. Truth and Reconciliation The Truth and Reconciliation Committee released its final report on the sad history of Canada's residential school system.

The mayor wants change. Councillors want change. The public voted for change.

Governing is as much about making decisions as it is about understanding the ramifications of those decisions and accounting for them.

It was during the height of the Mike Harris' Conservatives Common Sense Revolution in the 1990s that Ontario rolled out the Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act.

Coming off a term marked by divisiness, it was refreshing to see Greater Sudbury's new city council work toward a common goal to pass its $514-million budget.

Well, we all know the story. For a month or so, we have been the talk of the province. Political defections, secret recordings, bruised feelings, police investigations and a political swarming. We don’t remember being this popular.

Hand it to the City of Greater Sudbury: where other Canadian municipalities gave into the fear of getting sued and banned it outright, in the Nickel City you can still jump on a sled and shoot down a municipally owned hill at break-neck speed.

The measure of a just society is how it cares for its most vulnerable citizens. Given the experience of scores of families of children with severe disabilities, Ontario is falling short. Very short.

The perception that early childhood educators are little more than babysitters is, in our opinion, completely wrong.

Now that the dust has settled on another municipal election, it’s time for Greater Sudbury’s new council to roll up its sleeves. As tiring as campaigning is, getting elected is the easiest part of the job.