Larry Pattison Jr.

Eliminating Two Centuries of Education Advocacy | I didn’t set out to enter public life. A single visit to a special-needs high school in my community changed that, eventually leading me to serve four years as an elected trustee. This essay reflects on what I learned at the board table and why local representation in public education still matters. #OntEd #OnPoli #SchoolTrustees shakingthetree.ca/2026/02/elimin…

@jkenney Sounds like a song: "Bomb the boats. Eat the rich."

“Eat the damn rich.” Like Upper Canada College grad Avi Lewis? (Current tuition for day students = $48,720; boarding = $89,570) Or proud Maserati owner and Detroit Country Day School grad Jagmeet Singh? (Current tuition $42,310 USD / $58,800 CAD)

@kinsellawarren The Liberals:

The people who should be the unhappiest about the NDP devolving into a cringey clown show aren't the NDP. It's the Tories.

Petition to urge Hamilton council to do the same: c.org/NCHGMxhFnc

You're up, Hamilton. Source: CityNews Toronto share.google/JebYMPflEffCIo…

@gregbradyx Love this. We did this for our youngest when the middle school wasn't going to host one. The kids had a blast! Kids have missed enough with COVID. These are important moments for them.

Three DDSB high schools were told in October they wouldn’t get to have proms this academic year. The three principals, in a move that lacked courage, signed the same bland, vague letter, & sent it to parents & students at 430pm on a Friday afternoon. It’s embarrassing. But this June, the students at Brooklin HS will celebrate & dance & laugh anyway. Amelia Gatti is one of the lead organizers of an independent prom & joined me on “Toronto Today”. I’m not done yet helping this project & I will have more to announce. Proms are essential for high school kids, whether their school lacks leadership or not. open.spotify.com/episode/1pxths…

A long time in coming. HRIC expressed to myself and the late Trustee Parkinson when we met in 2018, about their need for more space. It will be nice to finally see this building being used again. I worked with colleagues and Clr Green during my term as trustee, to ensure this ended up in the cities hands, and that it did not suffer the same demise as other historical education sites. It will be a beautiful addition to the stadium district once complete. Source: The Spec share.google/WSo2qnTKjRtKCq…

You're the one who went to race. I simply asked if we need to announce which countries we all come from because in times of war, now we are from Ukraine or Russia, Israel and Palestine, and all of a sudden we are quietly opponents; labels rather than simply Jane and Sajid. We used to just all wear our school colors and share in our common feat, and I know that doesn't mean we can't evolve from these norms. The first high school grad I attended some 15 years ago, an elder had made beautiful scarves for the Indigenous grads. I am not saying I know the answers, but are our origin stories relevant to a graduation? Maybe they are and maybe quietly celebrating our identity through these garments, says enough without the divisive rhetoric. I am totally someone who believes we should all learn about our cultures and celebrate them, and our family has spent a lot of time in recent years learning about our Danish culture because we didn't grow up immersed in it. The beautiful human faces that fill the rooms of these graduation celebrations already tell a story of the cultural mosaic we live within.

@LarryTPattison @TinaYazdani Okay then I want my kids to have a White Canadians Only graduation. Is that okay? Fucking moron. 🥴

“He’s not the emperor of education.” Critics say Paul Calandra overstepped when he sent a letter ordering apolitical grad ceremonies. But he argues it was needed after one school board made land acknowledgements & the option to stay seated for the national anthem a requirement.

@w_mehlenbacher @sarobertsonca @Federal It's unfortunate because a healthy NDP pushes important change. I don't see any hope for anything different on the horizon for the party, though. The federal level needs a Marit Stiles.

@LarryTPattison @sarobertsonca @Federal level, yes.

Tom Mulcair on Pierre Poilievre's Joe Rogan appearance: "I thought it was an outstanding piece of political communication, and it was bookended by ... frankly one of the best political speeches I've heard any Canadian political leader give on Canada-US relations in a long time."

@Erik_Swanson03 When you lose in game seven in extra innings, there is so much to celebrate. I am sure the Mariners would love to celebrate a league title. With 30 teams, these rare feats should always be recognized.

Someone take the mic away from this clown.

Amazing! Congratulations, Hazel. Looking forward to reading this. I hope your last onfield interview this season, is Vladdy in tears wearing a Champions ball cap. :)

@w_mehlenbacher @sarobertsonca Not sure what your saying here, Bill. That the NDP is f'd?

@sarobertsonca @LarryTPattison You would, from the same fked up party.

This is great news.

Love this. And Lindy Ruff. Class act.

Excited to have AHL back in The Hammer again.

@AndrewCSelman I don't believe we were near the tracks. Either side of the trail and up the escarpment. I know at one point the kids and I were at the roadway halfway up. Beautiful Alley's has a track gang as well. They have worked with both CP and CN to coordinate rail cleanups.

Thanks for all those details, Larry. That really helps. If you don't mind and if you can recall, I'm wondering if you could answer a couple of questions? Did you work directly along the rail line, i. e. the lower trail that cuts through the woods? How did you get the garbage out? Did you put it into a rail car, or haul it up to the gravel trail for pickup? Thanks again

To establish the ownership and chain of responsibility for this land parcel, I have engaged with the Ward 3 Councillor's Office, CPKC authorities, municipal by-law and fire officials, as well as provincial and federal rail safety regulators. Once we establish clear ownership we can work towards a clean up effort. #HamOnt

The last time I remember cleaning that area up I think it was a city garbage cleanup day during the 2014 Municipal Election (separate from Beautiful Alley's). Maybe organized by the Waterfall guy (Chris? Name escapes me at the moment). That specific location was sponsored by Team (Matthew) Green at the time.

Good question, Larry. That was exactly my line of questioning. The debris field is spread over several kilometers, at points just meters from the rail line. I'm looking specifically to clarify : Whether this land is currently held by the municipality, the railway company, or the Bruce Trail. The designated boundaries of the rail corridor in this specific area. The appropriate contact for maintenance concerns (e.g., dangerous materials, biohazards, debris, fire and explosive risks).

Go for a trip over to Montgomery Park. Check out the accessibility/family washroom. They leave it open all year. It's not Ward 3, but it invites a conversation about protecting these community assets. If Woodlands wasn't already an example. I am sure many of these assets (like the other bathrooms at Montgomery), still require new paint, replaced parts, including burnt wood, and a little TLC, as they haven't recovered from encampments in our city parks.

@UrbanNative_Guy A bit of both Tony. There are abandoned sites, active camp style sites, then also large shanty homes built here in the woods. For that matter, there's a sugar shack on-site for maple syrup. You'd have to see it with your own eyes to believe it.

Our escarpment trails near Gage Park are the heart of Ward 3, but the state of the rail corridor behind them is a danger to us all. Walking there today, I saw trash built up, charred trees, massive fire pits and propane tanks just feet from the tracks. With 7/100 rail cars carrying dangerous chemicals, we’re not just looking at garbage we’re looking at a threat to our homes and families. We can't risk a Lac-Mégantic event. Let’s keep our community clean and safe #hamont