When I first started hearing about the Leaside Girls' Hockey Association's concerns with equal access to ice time, I immediately sympathasized. I assumed that they weren't getting the same amount of ice time as their male counterparts. Turns out, that's not the case. It just so happens that the girls have some not-so-great times, like 5:30 am practices. Why is this time more acceptable for boys, who have been doing it since (what seems like) the beginning of time? Anyway, in reading a bit more about this rather interesting case that is set to go before City Council, I found out a few things that now have me singing a different tune. This is no longer an issue of equal access for girls. This is actually a case of power and class. It so happens that Nick Lewis, a senior economic development advisor to Mayor David Miller, is one of three coaches of a Leaside hockey team this year. What's more, Lewis' team is part of the competitive branch of the organization. Kinda adds a different dimension to this whole issue, doesn't it? In an editorial on November 16, 2009 for the Toronto Star, Christie Blatchford questions why the mayor's office is even taking an interest in this case as it seems far-removed from day-to-day responsibilities.
Stories like these provide us with the resources we need to infuse critical literacy into our classrooms. We can get a wealth of materials just from cracking open a newspaper, so why are there so many piles of neglected papers sitting in our staffrooms?
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