Right, apologies for the long post but I was accused earlier of not backing up my statements with evidence. This is why I’m against school closures as a whole.
Initially, it seemed that closing schools was essential. We know that children commonly pass respiratory viruses between themselves. In my respiratory clinic one of the most common presentations is persistent or recurrent cough. Most of these are just children who have been unlucky. I normally tell parents that young children get 9-12 respiratory viral infections per year. So it seemed clear that SARS-CoV-2 would be the same. We knew before we had any cases that data from China were showing that children were largely unaffected, but we expected them to be asymptomatic superspreaders.
As the pandemic continued, it was borne out that there weren’t many cases in children requiring hospitalisation, and only a tiny number of children requiring critical care (we still haven’t seen a single patient with COVID in my centre’s critical care), with a single figure number of deaths in children (all with severe underlying conditions - it is worth noting that we see children die every year from common viruses like influenza, rhinovirus, RSV, adenovirus etc). The UK picture was nicely summarised by a colleague of mine (Swann - link below).
But what we also started to see was transmission data demonstrating that children who have COVID weren’t really passing it to each other. (The caveat is that transmission studies are very difficult). For example, Yung et al in Singapore showed by testing all school contacts of positive cases (aged 5, 12 and adult staff) there were no positives. This included testing asymptomatic contacts. Heavey et al did similar in Ireland, although a limitation of their study was that they only tested symptomatic children. They screened 1155 contacts of positive children and adults in schools. The only documented case was an adult staff member to another adult outside the school.
Inside homes, children pass it less frequently to adults as demonstrated in papers from Israel (Somekh et al) where 12/13 index cases at home were adults and the other was a 14 yr old (they tested everyone even if asymptomatic). Jing et al also showed this was true in China, with only 5% of primary household cases were “children”. I use inverted commas because they define “children” as being under 20yrs (a real bugbear in paediatric research is wide age margins - neonates are different to toddlers who are different to primary school children etc). These studies are in keeping with other reports from Asia (Zhang) and the USA (Rosenberg). Zhang also estimated odds ratios for age groups to become infected, and performed statistical adjustment for clustering and correlation structures of contacts exposed to the same index case. Their finding was that susceptibility to infection increased with age, lowest in children 0-14 years (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.24 – 0.49 – reference participants aged 15 – 64yr).
Li et al looked at risk of developing COVID when exposed to a positive contact - 4% in children v 21% in adults. Similarly Wang et al showed 11% in children v 60% adults. Zhou et al did a meta analysis which looked at cases from several countries - children were the index case in 9.7% of cases.
So based on this, we (majority of paediatricians) backed schools reopening (RCPCH - https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/statement-schools-re-opening). There have subsequently been papers looking at what happened when schools reopened. Yoon et al looked at this in South Korea. 13,000 students and school staff were tested for COVID-19 infection (by SARS-CoV-2 PCR) during the study period. 44 children were found to be positive after schools re-opened. The authors state that there was not an obvious sudden increase in the number of paediatric cases, or in the proportion of paediatric cases amongst all confirmed cases, before and after school re-opening. Out of 800 tests at kindergartens (5- to 7-year-olds), six children were positive for SARS-CoV-2 by PCR. There were no cases of transmission between kindergarten children. Out of 3,000 tests at elementary schools (7- to 12-year-olds), 17 children were positive. There was only one case of transmission, between a pupil who infected two fellow pupils. Out of 7,500 tests at middle schools (13- to 15-year-olds) and high schools (16- to 18-year-olds), 21 students were positive. There were no cases of transmission between students at middle school or high schools.
Ismail et all looked at reported outbreaks in English schools in June and showed they were rare. Of those that did occur, 53% involved just 2 cases. The majority of cases were in staff. When a child was the index case the most contacts who caught it was 2. This was 9 for the adults.
Similar studies in Japan (Wada et al), Germany (Otte im Kampe et al, Ehrhardt et al), Hong Kong (Fong et al) and Australia (MacCartney et al) showed schools safely reopening and low rates of transmission.
Interestingly:
There are also modelling studies showing that schools opening reduced transmission, although I’m not convinced by this. https://www.cream-migration.org/publ_uploads/CDP_22_20.pdf
There’s also evidence from across Europe showing cases falling while schools have been open: https://www.ft.com/content/7e1ad517-762b-4212-a6cb-79579e619409
More and more studies came out from different countries showing children were rarely primary cases in households like Lee et al in S Korea and Pitman-Hunt et al in the US.
An Icelandic study actually looking at genomics appears to show children as a whole group are half as likely to be infected and half as likely to transmit when compared to adults (but I haven’t seen the actual study yet - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/12/we-now-know-how-much-children-spread-coronavirus/)
But but but....”children are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people aren’t tested”. Well, many of the studies I’ve cited above did screening testing of asymptomatic contacts. But the ONS also do screening of populations. They screened a bunch of people in school recently. Rates in primary schools were half that of secondary, and in areas of low community transmission there were zero cases in primary schools: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/covid19schoolsinfectionsurveyround1england/november2020
NB - sampling was heavily weighted towards high prevalence areas. This is a study of school prevalence, not transmission. As ever, and I’ve said a million times, prevalence in schools reflects community prevalence.
A common response is that it doesn’t matter about kids passing it amongst themselves, it’s the risk they pose to people at home.
There was a really interesting (preprint of a) massive study recently by Forbes et al looking at the risk, in England, of living with children. This was a large scale population-based study. It is powered enough to look at several outcomes and has taken into account many potential confounders as well as looking for important interactions. The findings summarised by the Don’t forget the bubbles website were:
Risk in adults aged ≤65 years:
a) who live with children aged 0 to 11 years:
There was no association with increased risk of recorded SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 related hospital or ICU admission. There was a reduction in the risk of dying from COVID-19 (HR 0.75, 95%CI 0.62 – 0.92).
b) who live with children aged 12 to 18 years:
There was a small increase in recorded infection (HR 1.08, 95%CI 1.03-1.13), but no association with hospital, ICU admission or death from COVID-19.Risk in adults aged >65 years:
a) who live with children aged 0 to 11 years:
There was no evidence of association with any outcome.
b) who live with children aged 12 to 18 years:
There was no evidence of association with any outcome.
Living with children of any age was associated with a lower risk of dying from non-COVID-19 causes in the ≤65 years but no association was seen in the >65 group.
Extensive sensitivity analyses which included for example, assumptions on the distribution of high- risk occupations, didn’t materially altered the results from the comorbidity adjusted models, although there were higher recorded infections in the period three weeks after school closures. However, there was no increased risk for any of the other outcomes. There was no evidence of a “dose-response” related to the number of children in the household
So there is a risk when schools are open, but it’s low. But low risk is still risk, so why not just close schools and move everything online?
Well, there is evidence of significant harm while schools are closed. School closures have been shown to cause harm to children’s wellbeing, learning opportunities and safety, even when face-to-face classroom learning is replaced by (theoretically) full-time, online, distance learning (see ECDC, WHO, ENOC, UNICEF and UNESCO). It impacts their mental health significantly (Courtney et al, Cluver et al). We have seen an increase in non-accidental injury (NAI) and this has been backed up by reports across the country, as well as published evidence (Baron et al, Weale). A modelling study in the USA concluded that the decision to close primary schools could lead to more years of life lost than if they had remained open, based upon a model that linked school closures, reduced educational attainment, and the association between reduced educational attainment and life expectancy (Christakis et al). All of these effects are magnified and much worse in vulnerable children and those in low income households.
So my summary is that, surprisingly, a) kids are less affected when they get it b) they are less likely than adults to get it when they have the same exposure c) are much less likely to transmit it (risk increases with age) and therefore d) schools are not drivers of transmission, especially primary schools e) school closures are not particularly effective and f) cause considerable harm to children, especially young and vulnerable children.
This is why I’ve been opposed to schools closing. Now I recognise there are (anecdotal) reports of the new strain spreading more in children. I will begrudgingly support a delay in secondary schools reopening until we have more information. But definitely not the closure of primary schools.
TLDR
There is a recent summary from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/children-and-school-settings-covid-19-transmission) that summarises the evidence as follows:
There is a general consensus that the decision to close schools to control the COVID-19 pandemic should be used as a last resort. The negative physical, mental health and educational impact of proactive school closures on children, as well as the economic impact on society more broadly, would likely outweigh the benefits. In surveillance data, among childhood COVID-19 cases, children between 1-18 years of age have lower rates of hospitalisation, severe hospitalisation and death than do all other age groups. Children of all ages are susceptible to and can transmit SARS-CoV-2. Younger children appear to be less susceptible to infection, and when infected, less often lead to onward transmission than older children and adults. This report does not consider the epidemiology of COVID-19 in relation to new variants of SARS-CoV-2, for which robust evidence on the potential impact in school settings is not yet available, such as one recently observed in the United Kingdom. School closures can contribute to a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but by themselves are insufficient to prevent community transmission of COVID-19 in the absence of other non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as restrictions on mass gathering. The return to school of children around mid-August 2020 coincided with a general relaxation of other NPI measures in many countries and does not appear to have been a driving force in the upsurge in cases observed in many EU Member States from October 2020. Trends in case notification rates observed since August 2020 for children aged 16-18 years most closely resemble those of adults aged 19-39 years. Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can occur within school settings and clusters have been reported in preschools, primary and secondary schools. Incidence of COVID-19 in school settings appear to be impacted by levels of community transmission. Where epidemiological investigation has occurred, transmission in schools has accounted for a minority of all COVID-19 cases in each country. Educational staff and adults within the school setting are generally not seen to be at a higher risk of infection than other occupations, although educational roles that put one in contact with older children and/or many adults may be associated with a higher risk. Non-pharmaceutical interventions in school settings in the form of physical distancing that prevent crowding as well as hygiene and safety measures are essential to preventing transmission. Measures must be adapted to the setting and age group and consider the need to prevent transmission as well as to provide children with an optimal learning and social environment. Specifically regarding schools:
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 can occur within school settings and clusters have been reported by countries in preschool, primary and secondary schools (high confidence).
• In situations with high levels of community transmission, prevalence of COVID-19 within the school is influenced by the prevalence in the community (moderate confidence).
• Where epidemiological investigation is carried out and setting of infection data is available, transmission in schools account for a minority of all COVID-19 cases in a given country (moderate confidence).
• The available literature does not consider the epidemiology of COVID-19 in relation to new variants of SARS-CoV-2, such as one recently observed in the United Kingdom [2].
• Educational staff and adults within the school setting are generally at no higher risk of infection than other occupations although educational roles that put one in contact with many older children and/or many adults may be associated with higher risk (moderate confidence).
• The detection of multiple COVID-19 cases within a school does not automatically imply that transmission occurred within the school setting itself, making the calculation of reliable secondary attack rates in these settings challenging. Factors related to the level of community transmission and nature of contact with others appear to have a higher impact on one’s risk of exposure than presence in a school. Although potentially influenced by mitigation measures enacted, similar COVID-19 rates in teachers and non-teachers indicate that schools are not settings of higher transmission and that schools are not settings that are fuelling community transmission.
And there is an incredible paediatric website called Don’t Forget the Bubbles which has been incredible at keeping on top of the evidence: https://dontforgetthebubbles.com/evidence-summary-paediatric-covid-19-literature/
REFERENCES
Swann et al. Clinical characteristics of children and young people admitted to hospital with covid-19 in United Kingdom: prospective multicentre observational cohort study
BMJ 2020; 370 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3249
Yung, C. F., Kam, K., Nadua, K. D. et al. Novel coronavirus 2019 transmission risk in educational settings. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa794
Heavey, L., G. Casey, C. Kelly, D. Kelly and G. McDarby (2020). “No evidence of secondary transmission of COVID-19 from children attending school in Ireland, 2020.” Euro Surveill 25(21). May 28th 2020, https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.21.2000903
Somekh, E., A. Gleyzer, E. Heller, M. Lopian, L. Kashani-Ligumski, S. Czeiger, Y. Schindler, J. B. Lessing and M. Stein (2020). “The Role of Children in the Dynamics of Intra Family Coronavirus 2019 Spread in Densely Populated Area.” Pediatr Infect Dis J. doi: 10.1097/INF.0000000000002783
Qin-Long Jing, Ming-Jin Liu, Jun Yuan et al, Household secondary attack rate of COVID-19 and associated determinants in Guangzhou, China: a retrospective cohort study, The Lancet, June 17th 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30471-0
Eli S Rosenberg, Elizabeth M Dufort, Debra S Blog et al. New York State Coronavirus 2019 Response Team, COVID-19 Testing, Epidemic Features, Hospital Outcomes, and Household Prevalence, New York State—March 2020, Clinical Infectious Diseases, ciaa549, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa549
Zhang J, Litvinova M, Liang Y, et al, Changes in contact patterns shape the dynamics of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, Science, 29th April 2020, DOI: 10.1126/science.abb8001
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Zhu Y, Bloxham CJ, Hulme KD, et al. Children are unlikely to have been the primary source of household SARS-CoV-2 infections. medRxiv 2020;:2020.03.26.20044826. doi:10.1101/2020.03.26.20044826
Yoon Y, Yae-Jin K (2020). Stepwise School Opening and an Impact on the Epidemiology of COVID-19 in the Children. J Korean Med Sci. https://jkms.org/DOIx.php?id=10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e414
Lee et al (2020). Absence of SARS-CoV-2 Transmission from Children in Isolation to Guardians, South Korea. Emerg Infect Dis 27(1). https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/1/20-3450_article
Pitman-Hunt et al (2020). SARS-CoV-2 Transmission in an Urban Community: The Role of Children and Household Contacts. https://academic.oup.com/jpids/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jpids/piaa158/6007439
Forbes et al (2020). Association between living with children and outcomes from COVID-19: an OpenSAFELY cohort study of 12 million adults in England. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.01.20222315v1
Wada et al (2020). Infection and transmission of COVID-19 among students and teachers in schools in Japan after the reopening in June 2020. BMJ Paed Open. https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/4/1/e000854
Otto im Kampe et al (2020). Surveillance of COVID-19 school outbreaks, Germany, March to August 2020. https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.38.2001645
Fong et al (2020). COVID-19 cases among school-aged children and school-based measures in Hong Kong, July 2020. https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.37.2001671
Ehrhardt J et al (2020). Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in children aged 0 to 19 years in childcare facilities and schools after their reopening in May 2020, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.36.2001587
Ismail et al (2020). SARS-CoV-2 infection and transmission in educational settings: cross-sectional analysis of clusters and outbreaks in England. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.08.21.20178574v1
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Money history: I come from a family that has absolutely no money sense. My mom raised 3 kids as a single mom, and as a snapshot we often had power turned off for a few days or barely any food. When she eventually remarried and became a high earner, she still lived paycheck to paycheck. Money was not talked about and the example was to spend it while you had it. My dad similarly had no money sense. Both of my parents highly stressed the importance of going to college, as both didn’t finish high school. I had no support in really much of anything growing up, and figured it all out the long and hard way on my own. I did drag myself through community college to a 4 year degree at a university, but not without irresponsible loans and a late realized FAFSA error that kept me from grants for almost my entire time as a student. I didn’t start learning about money until my 30’s. I have heavily relied on online resources to educate myself and work on getting myself out of debt. I am super proud of how far I’ve come.
Section One: Assets and Debt
Retirement Balance: $0.00 I had some from 2 different previous jobs, but cashed them out at times when I was financially strapped (before I learned about managing my money!). We are moving this coming summer into an inherited house. We will get all debt paid off within one year (except my student loans). Once that happens, our goal is to put 50% away into savings/retirement. My husband also has not contributed.
Equity if you're a homeowner: We rent. We will inherit a house next summer in the sense that we will live there for free and have any house repairs will be paid for, but we won’t own it until way in the future.
Savings account balance: $10,650 (this was $0 six years ago and about $4,000 at the beginning of Covid-19). We realized we needed an emergency fund after covid hit, and then decided to put as much as possible here towards our move. We used to have multiple savings accounts with sub-categories, but we realized by putting it all in one account we were motivated by seeing a large number grow. We still have to access it for regular things, like the vet which you will see in this diary. This works for us.
Checking account balance: $1803.18
Credit card debt (and how you accumulated it): Yikes. The biggest regret of my life. I owe $9,065. My husband owes $7,318. Mine was accumulated from years of having absolutely no idea how to deal with money, not understanding saving, and basically financing my 20’s on credit. In the last three years we have paid off about $12,000 in credit card debt as we have become financially literate and started working towards financial goals. My husband’s debt was accumulated during his divorce, which was money well spent IMO!
Student loan debt (for what degree): I have $42,794 and my husband has $4,431. I have a degree in English, and he did not finish his degree. I loved earning this degree, but would 100% go back and do a STEM related degree, or a trade.
All of our finances and bills are completely shared and managed by me.
Section Two: $43,000 per year
Income Progression: I am not going to be too specific because I know a lot of people that read this sub-reddit.
2002 – 2006 $10 per hour at a box store
2006 – 2010 $29,000 per year at a small local company
2010 – 2011 $10,000 per year finishing university, lived rent free
2011 – 2015 $30,000 up to $50,000 through a salary evaluation that they did, and moving into a more client facing role that brought in more money.
2016 – 2020 $43,000 through main job and side jobs
This is really hard to explain because I have been all over the place. I used to have a much better paying job, closer to $60,000 with side job, but I went through a horrible depression and left that job. I started nannying and then house managing 5 years ago, and it was too comfortable to leave. I loved not being on a computer! Part of why I agreed to moving is to force me out of this job, that I am not happy or fulfilled in. I am actively looking for a job that is remote and I can keep when we move.
Monthly Take Home: $5,640 after all deductions
Main Job
Me: $2050 for 30 hours of work per week after basic taxes.
W: $2540, after taxes for both of us and insurance for both of us. I am honestly not sure on every single deduction, as it’s a lot, but we pay around $350 a month in insurance for the two of us.
Side Gig Monthly Take Home
I have a salaried side job that is $750 a month, and through other odds and ends I make another $300 a month on average.
Any Other Monthly Income Here
I use my sisters Hulu, my mom’s Netflix and my boss’s HBO Max. We actually do have our own free Hulu through Spotify, but hers is ad free. I pay for Amazon which my whole family uses.
Section Three: Expenses
Rent: $1730 for a 2 bedroom apartment
Storage Unit: $43
Car insurance, renters insurance and life insurance: $156
Car payment: $353 for new car, purchased certified pre-owned. The 2nd car, which I drive, was paid for in cash. It’s oooold but does the job. We owe $7829.95 on the new car, with a little less than two years left on the 1% loan we have.
Savings contribution: $1000. This varies by month and expenses that come up, but since covid it has been over $1000 a month. Before we were putting that money towards debt, but stopped to save for the move and an emergency fund.
Electric and alternating WateSeweGarbage: $200
Wifi/Cable/Security: $143
Cellphone: $110
Gym membership: Paid for by my main job
Pet expenses: recently more, $100 a month at this point
Spotify and MLB radio package: $15 per month
Debt payments: This is above the minimum on all of them
$300 Visa 1
$200 Visa 2
$100 Visa 3
$Balance Visa 4, this is a rewards card that is paid off at each pay check
$75 LOC
$320 Student loans (Me) on hold due to covid
$139 Student loans (W) on hold due to covid
Yearly Expenses:
Costco ($60 yearly)
Amazon ($120 yearly)
Oil changes ($90x 4 yearly)
Tabs ($550 yearly)
MLB subscription ($90 yearly)
NHL Subscription ($140 yearly)
Learned league ($30 yearly)
Microsoft office ($70 yearly)
Zoo membership ($110 yearly)
At the end of each day please tally up your daily expenses. Then at the end of your diary please tally up all expenses in the following categories:
Food + Drink: $261.18
Fun / Entertainment:
Home + Health: $2.82
Clothes + Beauty: $44.84
Transport: $51.02
Other: $218.93
Lastly, reflect on your diary! This week had more spending than normal due to the vet bill and the gift for my mother-in-law. That said, I am consistently disappointed in how much we are spending. I try SO HARD to spend less every month, and while we are trending way down in spending, it seems like there are always so many expenses that come up. Food also continues to be a huge expense during Covid. We enjoy cooking great meals, and it has been hard to cut back our grocery budget – which is where we spend most of our money. I also have some leftover issues from food insecurity as a kid, and I love being able to buy groceries and have options. This week was also driven up by a Saturday out, which we have only done 3 times since Covid, so I don’t feel too bad about this expense. We want to pay debt and save, but also enjoy our lives as much as possible.
On R29 people really seem to freak out when you mention your significant other a lot, but also freak out if you seem in an unhappy relationship. My husband is my best friend and I am obsessed with my cat, but I mostly left them out of this. I also ALWAYS wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, don’t go in anyone’s house ever, etc. We take Covid-19 very seriously and feel lucky to live in a state that is also taking is seriously.
Day 1: Pay Day
6:45am Wake up with my sunrise alarm clock and feel intense dread at needing to apply for a job a friend has recommended me for. This job is a stretch for me and I really don’t have the mental energy for this this morning.
7:15am: Finally roll out of bed and drink my leftover pour-over from yesterday as cold coffee with cream and eat a bowl of frosted mini wheats.
7:30am: Today is pay day so I log on to pay all my bills, which I love doing! I remember a time, not so long ago, I would just not even pay bills or put them off for as long as possible – which now seems so absurd! I look forward to pay day and knocking these things out for the month. I pay the balance on my rewards credit card, move money to savings, pay one of my visa cards, and Zelle my brother money for our phone bill. The plan is actually in my husband’s name but my brother set up his card for the automatic payments. This is fine with me since my sister never remembers to pay.
9:30am: Work, work work (while listening to podcast or audio book, always and forever).
12:00: Run to grab fish for my work family’s dinner and some hot food for my lunch from a high end grocery store. I end up getting myself some Okonomiyaki to eat for $3.99. They are also featuring lots of local restaurants and they have a famous coconut cream pie from a local place so I grab a mid-sized one to bring to a friends for her birthday today $16.99. Other grocery items go on work credit card. ($21.39)
3:30: Leave work and head home to prepare chili for dinner. I slow cooked beef chuck overnight in crushed tomatoes so it goes quickly.
5:00pm: Head to friend’s house to drop off birthday pie. Stop by the fancy pet store to get food for main side job and pick up $75 worth of cat food that goes on work card.
6:30pm: Home and eat chili with sour cream, cheddar and Budget Bytes freezer biscuits while watching the new Adam Sandler Halloween movie. I follow it up with some hot chocolate.
7:30pm: Feeling restless and decide to take a bath and listen to Crime Junkies podcast. After this I use our new Sonic massage gun on W’s back and then grab my computer and get in bed to finally apply for that job.
10:00pm: Finish up the application after a burst of creative energy and hit submit. Check email accounts for other side jobs and send some emails. Close the computer around 11pm, listen to Crime Junkies and fall asleep around midnight.
Daily Total: $21.39
Day 2:
7:45am: wake up from a dream that I had a new job working for Post Malone, but actually he and I were pulling an elaborate prank on a mutual friend. Okay? FaceTime my sister and niece to say good morning and drag myself out of bed. Drink some homemade chai I made this weekend and eat bowl of frosted mini-wheats while I chat with my sister.
8:20am: I see an email alert that my credit score has changed. Down 10 points??? Log on to see that it calculated my debt ratio while the payment on the card I use for monthly expenses was pending. So annoying. I also see that my main email account password has been published on the dark web since Monday. so I quickly log in and change passwords on multiple accounts and use the Gmail feature to do a security check. I see have 3 log ins for a chase account that I do not understand at all. I think these are from an old work credit card, but I make a note to call them.
9:15am: Leave for work with my hair looking like Legolas. Oh well.
9:30am: Arrive at work and make myself a latte and an americano for my boss on their espresso machine.
11:45am: Run to drop off an amazon return at a locker and pick up some supplies for my meeting with main side job, but the cost goes on my (other) work credit card (bill goes directly to them). Do some grocery shopping for work family and it goes on work card. I also pick up some fancy canned heirloom beans that went on sale for half off, milk and sleepy time tea for $7.25.
12:30pm: Back to work and make lunch for me and the kids.
3:30pm: Off work and head to a meeting at main side job. Drive to her house listening to Crime Junkies! I’m on a binge.
6:30pm: Leave meeting after preparing for some upcoming projects and taking about Schitt’s Creek a bunch. She also gives me a new hoodie and fancy water bottle that she doesn’t want. I see an email back from an interview I did earlier this week asking me back for a second interview next week – YAY!
6:45pm: My friend, P, just moved back to Seattle from the east coast and text me and asks me to meet up for a drink with our friend, S. I drive to the lake and meet them at an outside corner table. I don’t drink a ton so I only have one cocktail and a grilled cheese with small salad. $24.78 with 25% tip. My friend P also orders me a hot chocolate, but she covers this.
10: 30pm: Home, check emails and put out a couple fires. I take the time, now that I am on my computer, to email back the place I am interviewing to thank them for asking me back and give them my preferred times out of those they offered. It will be 2 hour zoom interview with multiple groups of their staff.
11:20pm: Lights out with Crime Junkies. I have a problem.
Daily Total: $32.03
Day 3:
7:00am: Wake up and make coffee in the Chemex. I make this every couple days and drink half fresh and hot, then save the other half to drink iced the next day. I eat oatmeal I bought at the beginning of the pandemic when I thought we should have a few shelf stable items in case we had to fully quarantine (if we had covid-19). To be clear, it was not a hoarding situation. I bought a few cans of beans, a couple things of pasta and sauce, oatmeal and a bag of rice. We have gone through all of it except the pasta sauce (since I normally make my own) and the oatmeal.
8:00am: Check work emails and do some work for my side jobs. Read Reddit for a while and finally get ready for work.
9:30am: Arrive at work and it’s busy all day.
12:30pm: Make a lunch of frozen dumplings for everyone, then take one of the kids, N, to the store with me as the kids want a treat. We grab last minute groceries for their family and Starbucks for the kids and myself. They each get a refresher and I get an iced chai with pumpkin spice foam on top and it is OUT OF THIS WORLD SO GOOD. My sister had seen this on Tik Tok and I feel blessed to know about it. This is paid for on my work card. I also need a bulk spice so I stop at the co-op and get that for work, as well as some Japanese yams, mushrooms, bulk corn meal and bulk polenta for myself. $12.87
4:00pm: Finally off work after a long afternoon. Stop at the grocery store because I forgot butter. I use the app to get some coupons so end up with regular butter, European butter, buttermilk, and klondike bars for $5.01 with a 50% off buttermilk since it expires tomorrow and a $5 credit on the app. Always check the app! $5.01
5:00pm: Home and running a meeting for a side job. There are 5 of us and it’s fun to meet some new people that I have been working with over email for months.
6:00pm: Meeting is over and start making skillet cornbread to go with the leftover chili. Usually I am on constantly listening to audio books but as you can tell I am on a podcast kick, which happens occasionally when something engages me. We eat dinner while watching Friends (the one where Joey and Rachel nearly hook up, WTF).
7:15pm: I take a long and luxurious bath.
8:30pm: Play a few rounds of a new (gifted) board game with W called Azul and we are hooked right away. The pieces are very satisfying, which will make sense if you are into board games. Do recommend.
10:00pm: Lights out.
Daily Total: $17.88
Day 4: 7:30am: I have the day off! YAY. I actually have a very abnormal amount of things going on this weekend so I still get up early because I have some stuff I want to get done today. I eat leftover cornbread for breakfast and facetime my mom and sister for about an hour while I eat, drink the cold coffee from yesterday, and check emails.
8:30am: W’s mom’s birthday is next week, and his parents are extremely generous with us, like too generous, so we try to give them nice birthday presents. I order a set of 2 olive oils from Brightland with 2 of the trendy spouts they have. Total cost is $95.98. This goes on my card for rewards, but will essentially come out of savings. $95.98
12:00pm: I spent the morning making Smitten Kitchen buttermilk biscuits (to freeze) with the buttermilk that “expires” today (it’s still fine a week later). I make half of the dough with cheddar and chives and freeze all but two. I eat one while it is piping hot, obviously. I work a little on this money diary, planning out my weekend, and watering my many, many…many plants. Head out at noon to the vet.
12:15pm: Very quick trip to the vet to get a blood draw on Z. They pick him up out of the car, I pay over the phone, and the whole thing is over in 5 minutes. Cost is $108.75. I pay with credit card for rewards, but this will come out of savings as well. $108.75
12:30pm: Home to drop off cat, and pick up a bag of Nordstrom returns for main side job. I head to the Rack to do the returns and end up doing a little shopping for myself since I am there. I get 4 Burberry lip colors for $7 each (2 for me, 1 each for my nanny kids. They love branded makeup), 2 hair clips, 1 fun headband and a pair of super cute Hudson jeans on super clearance for my niece for $4. Total cost is $44.84. I put this on my Nordstrom card and put a reminder on my calendar to make a payment in 2 days when it is no longer a pending charge. $44.84
2:00pm: W gets home from work and we talk for a while before he takes a shower and a nap. I continue to work on my side jobs.
3:15pm: I eat one of the cheddascallion biscuits from earlier with some sliced local mole salami for lunch. I text with my friend, T, about meeting up her and her husband at a brewery tomorrow and research locations with covered outdoor seating.
5:30pm: After fielding calls for a work emergency for my main side job and tidying up around the house, I go hard down a rabbit hole of FBI’s most wanted criminals on their website while drinking a Kitty Cat Blues beer. Look up and am surprised that it’s been 2 hours! Oops. Check the mail and see that my check has come from one of my side jobs. It’s for $265 which will basically cover the birthday gift and vet visit from today. Instead of going into savings like it normally would, I will deposit to checking and make an extra payment on my credit card.
6:00pm: W wakes up from his nap and we start playing our friends trivia on Twitch. In between the forms he sets up on his website I somehow manage to click a spam add and my computer starts freaking out an popping up all these warnings and freezing up. I am super pissed and spend the next hour running various scans.
7:00pm: I put frozen dumplings I made last week into the air fryer and steam some broccoli for dinner. We eat while we continue playing trivia and then do a call with W’s cousin. While on the phone we learn that he is having trouble reading small font in books (he is a person with a disability), so I tell him I will send him an e-reader that we don’t use so he can enlarge the font and get free books from the library. I set him up for a library card online and promise to set it up this weekend and send it next week. I also fill out his unemployment for the week, which I am managing for him. W cleans up while I do this.
8:30pm: I run more tests on my computer and we spend a couple hours playing Azul. I eat a Reece’s Klondike bar and drink another Kitty Kat Blues while we play. I work on this money diary a little bit and text with my best friend. We head to bed around midnight.
Daily Total: $249.57
Day 5:
8:15am: Wake up to my alarm and get ready to go a shredding event. I have a bag of our own paper items and several computers from a side job. I get ready and head out to the next city up the freeway to go to the event. The line is super long but it goes quickly. This is a free event so there is no fee.
9:30am: Meet my friend across the street at Starbucks. I get another of the iced chai pumpkin chai with the egg bites. I use points for the drink but spend $5.01 on the egg bites. We sit in the car with the windows all down and masks on when we aren’t drinking and catch up. $5.01
11:15am: Head home and stop at the Costco in this city for gas, as it is does much less volume and there is no wait. I fill up W’s car for $31.02.
12:00pm: Pick up W and head to an outdoor brewery to meet friends for lunch. We order Shake Shack ahead on the app, 2 burgers, 1 hotdog, 1 fry and 1 shake for $27.69 after a discount code I find online. We spend about 3 hours at the brewery catching up. One beer for me, four for W and one for our friend totals $52.
4:00pm: Home and facetime W’s parents for a while before I do a work zoom with a new volunteer from 6-7:45pm. I don’t love doing this on the weekend but in showing him how to do a bunch of my work, I get ahead for next week, which is fantastic. I also like making money.
8:00pm: W had walked to the local grocery store but forgot his wallet, so I meet him when my zoom is over. We get 2 delicata squash, broccoli, bananas, apples, pears, 1 cabbage, 2 russet potatoes, 1 green bell pepper, brussels sprouts, celery, 2 sweet potatoes, jalapenos, ellenos large yogurt, 6 small yogurts, cottage cheese, ground turkey, a pound of coffee, pretzels, 2 packs English muffins, cool whip, and an apple pie kit kat bar for $53.34.
8:45pm: Late dinner of lumpia that a friend dropped off for us a couple weeks and we froze. They come out perfect in the air fryer with no oil, with steamed broccoli on the side. I resist dessert after the milkshake and a tummy ache earlier. We watch American Utopia – the Spike Lee directed David Byrne concert and head to be around 12:30pm.
Daily Total: $169.06
Day 6:
9:55am: Wake up just in time to set my fantasy football lineup. This NFL season is absolutely absurd and it makes me so sad to see all these players getting injured. I start coffee and make breakfast sandwiches with the savory frozen buttermilk biscuits from earlier this week. I sauté mushrooms to go on the side. I want to listen to my podcast so I spend the morning meal prepping lunches for W – sauteed onion, Thai peppers, jalapeno, broccoli, delicata squash, and ground turkey over brown rice. I also make the Comforting Cabbage, Onion and Farro soup, from the 6 Seasons cookbook by Joshua McFadden cookbook, to have on hand this week.
4:00pm: I play Imposter with my sister and her friends while I snack on some pretzels and make myself a Frappuccino with the chai I made last weekend, some vital proteins collagen powder, maple syrup and ice. It turns out really good and helps my migraine. W walks to the store to pick up his medications ($2.82) as well as a wedge of parmesan and brown rice ($12.98). $15.80
6:00pm: I cook up two salmon fillets in the air fryer as well as some of the brussels sprouts. I freaking love our air fryer. It has 2 racks instead of a drawer and everything turns out so perfect. We top the brussels sprouts with balsamic glaze and add a bowl of the cabbage soup on the side with some freshly shaved parmesan. W watches Monsterland and I play more Imposter before getting up to sit at the desk and check emails and work on this money diary. At some point W makes air popper popcorn for us to snack on and I eat a Reece’s Klondike bar.
9:30pm: W goes to bed and I continue working on my side jobs as well as reconfiguring the Kindle for W’s cousin. I also pay the charge on my Nordstrom card. I get in bed around 11 and play Imposter before going to sleep around 12:30am. I deeply regret the afternoon chai.
Daily Total: $15.80
Day 7:
7:15am: Sleep in a little before getting up and drinking the coffee I prepared last night so I wouldn’t have to this morning. Thank you past me. I eat some homemade granola with the Ellenos yogurt – it is extremely tart and not edible this way, so I slice up one of the Japanese sweet potatoes and bake that instead. I will have to make tzatziki or bake something with the yogurt. I facetime my sister and niece while we all get ready for the day.
9:30am: Busy morning at work. At some point head out to grab them some groceries and I get 3 cans of beans, hot chili oil, a cucumber, garlic, and 3 blood oranges to bring to a friend with a bottle of champagne tonight – her 30th birthday is coming up next week. $11.13.
12:30pm: I take the kids to lunch at Chipotle. The shut down the street at this outdoor shopping center and have tables spread out under a tent, so we eat there. This cost is covered by work, but I decide to get us some Chocolate & Mochi Xiao Long Bao from Din Tai Fung to share. $8.76 with tip. I regret this purchase due to the price tag, not the taste. YUM. I also stop at Paper Source to pick up an RBG birthday card for my mother in law, and this butterfly that will fly out of the card when she opens it. $14.20. $22.96
3:30pm: Off work and stop by local co-op to purchase some pork chops for hot and sour soup tonight. I also get a tiny but of swiss cheese from the “ends” section to have with some salami when I get home. Really craving protein today!! $7.97. My gas light goes on, so I do tomorrow morning me a favor and stop for gas. $20 even and this will last me 2 weeks. $27.97
6:00pm: After charcuterie and hot and sour soup, we pack up hot chocolate and warm clothes to head to an outdoor trivia our friend is hosting. We clip some rosemary on the way out to go with the blood oranges and champagne for our friend, when we realize we don’t have a bottle of champagne. We almost always keep some on hand for gifts! We stop at a gas station and get a bottle of Cooks for $11 even (smh).
9:00pm: Our friend does a phenomenal job transforming her backyard into a socially distanced trivia oasis and I feel like I am part of an incredibly cool secret society.
11:00pm: When we get home I take a hot bath and play Among Us with my sister and then get straight to bed thinking about how old I am after a satisfying teeth brushing with a new toothbrush head.
Daily Total: $73.06
Weekly Total: $578.79

Much thanks to NoddingCrow and Redarcs for helping edit and review this.
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Dagoth Undevan stared at his console, double checking the coordinates his captain gave him. As navigator, it was his job to plot the route they would take, making sure the computer generated trajectory would cause no problems. As amazing as warp drives proved to be, bad calculations would mean instant death if you passed through a planet. As such, it often took many days of mapping out where celestial bodies would be before engaging the drive.
Most of the route seemed standard except for a section where it cut across into sector 69-420. Dagoth looked around to find his captain, observing him leaning over and talking with the communication officer instead of being in his command chair.
"Sir, can you confirm these coordinates for me? It says here that we cut across sector 69-420." Dagoth pointed over at the sector on his console.
"That's no mistake, we do. It saves us over 8 days of travel." The captain waved him off and returned to what he was doing. Grumbling, Dagoth reluctantly proceeded with the rest of the calculations.
More like there's no cargo inspection checkpoints over there.
Dagoth sighed, it appeared that this run was going to be a smuggling run. Not that the captain would ever admit it but the signs were there. Why else would they try and save time by going through pirate infested space?
Dagoth kept at his work, trying to give as much clearance possible between celestial bodies. He finished a few hours later and submitted it for review. No more than 15 minutes later, his captain authorized it and they began making warp preparations.
The warp drive activation proceeded smoothly, entering hyperspace without any problems. The first few hours were always the riskier ones. Dagoth stayed at his console for eight hours until his replacement, a junior navigator, came to replace him.
It would take nearly 3 days to reach the border of what was defined as pirate territory; and once there, another 4 days and a few hours to traverse back into empire space.
Time passed as it would on a spaceship travelling at twenty times the speed of light, the crew doing their duties and spending some time relaxing. The first leg of the journey was rather uneventful, only crossing paths with other ships twice, the computing maneuvers to avoid collision had gone well and quickly.
The empire was quite large, composed of three races that banded together many thousands years ago. Trade traffic was much higher out in the main hubs, not many wanting to increase the risks for slightly increased profits. Spacefaring remained a dangerous profession even with all the inventions that followed.
The pay tended to attract certain types however, the more carefree and dangerous ones. Dagoth was somewhat of an exception, getting into the trade to be able to retire early. He was still in his prime and saved up most of his wages to buy a nice home on a border world. Two more trips after this one and he'd have enough for a modest retirement with over 40 years to look forward to.
Dagoth began daydreaming about his nice little cottage, near a body of water and with plenty of space. His feathers shook in excitement, a shiver running down his spine. His daydream was cut short however when his face connected with his console in a rather abrupt sudden motion. Staggered from the impact, it took him a few seconds to check what was happening. From the feeling alone, he knew something happened to the drive.
“Give me a status update people! What happened?” Shouted the captain from the floor, having fallen out of his chair.
“Something knocked the warp drive out of sync!” Reported engineering through the ship wide comms.
“Sensors are picking up something.” The communications officer added. “Looks like a single ship. Pinging their transponder now..”
Dagoth didn’t bother waiting and he set the impulse thrusters to full, moving the ship away from the unknown one.
“Received their transponder reply, running it against the database now.” Continued the comms officer. “Looks like ‘Go fuc--’….oh. It’s pirates sir.” She finished, her voice shaking.
“Engineering! I need those drives online 10 minutes ago!” The captain was now seated back in his chair, looking over the displays that had zoomed in on the pirate vessel, seeing it gain on them quite rapidly.
“Everything’s a mess! We have to replace a few parts, we’re going to need like, ten hours!”
Ten hours was too much. In less than half of that, the pirate ship would be upon them. With hardly any weapons onboard, due to being a trading vessel, the odds were not in their favor. Dagoth checked the system, trying to find something to help them or buy time. An idea came to him as he looked over the planet.
“Captain, if we jettison the cargo when we pass near the planet here, the pirates will have to choose between pursuing us or getting the cargo in one piece. It would buy us enough time.”
“Out of the question. We’re as good as dead without that cargo.” The captain seemed quite serious, his expression being rather somber.
The first officer spoke up. “The escape pods then.”
Dagoth shuddered. There were enough for everyone on board but the prospect of a 10 year cryogenic sleep after a random single minute warp jump until someone found them was not appealing, if anyone would find them. Else it meant waking up and starving to death.
The captain looked at his first officer and sneered, pulling out his blaster and melting his head with a single shot. The deck fell awfully quiet, ranging from shocked faces to ones of disgust. No one said anything, most likely due to the captain still holding the weapon in his hand.
“We’re in this till the end. Drovth, go to the armory, get blasters for everyone. We’ll fight them off when they board us.” The captain returned to his seat and contemplated the displays while the junior officer went to fetch weapons.
Dagoth did the best he could with what he had but the pirates caught up nonetheless. An unnerving clatter of metal-on-metal, like pulling into a docking port too fast, made everyone aware, made everyone aware that the pirates were now hull to hull with them. Dagoth didn’t want to die here but he had little choice. The pirates of this sector were notorious for taking no prisoners. He swallowed hard and readied his blaster while crouching behind a panel on the main deck with the other crew members. They could all hear the footsteps of the pirates and what appeared to be machinery of some kind, likely cutting a hole through the hull.
The sounds all ceased suddenly and Dagoth felt a bit lighter. He realized it was not because the pirates stopped what they were doing but that his companions were also floating.
The captain opened a comms channel to engineering. “Damnit, did you turn off the gravity!?”
“No, of course not. We’re using all our resources on the engine right now, we don’t have time to check the gravity generator!”
The gravity quickly changed again, causing everyone to fall down, embracing the floor with all of their bodies. Dagoth banged his head rather nastily and could feel some blood seeping out. Mere moments later however, he was floating again, this time with much more force: he touched the ceiling and was slightly pushed up against it. Dreading what was to come, he reflexively put his hands around his head, dropping his weapon.
“Hold your weapons you fools!” shouted the captain before the floor came to greet them again, knocking the consciousness out of the majority of them, Dagoth included.
Dagoth came back to his senses an unknown amount of time later, rather happy at the fact that he was alive even if he had some of the worst soreness and back pain in his life. His hands were bound and he was placed in a prone position, with the rest of the crew surrounding him.
Guarding the only entrance was a relatively tall and slim creature wearing some armor. It seemed familiar somehow, the small patch of fur on the top of what seemed to be it’s head and the elongated limbs that it stood on and grabbed the weapon with. It reminded him of a creature he saw once, some years ago when he was but starting his career in space.
“Pirate scum,” uttered one of the crew members next to him, loud enough that the pirate could hear it.
“Hah, that’s funny coming from xeno scum like you! Why don’t I skip straight to the end with you then?” The pirate said as he began walking towards the crew member, the others parting before him as he wielded his gun.
Dagoth tried to think how he could prevent the death of the crew at the hands of the pirates when it suddenly hit him. The creature he had saved those years ago was a human, just like this pirate seemed to be. He tried recalling the specifics of the encounter, hoping some nugget of information would prevent their deaths. There was one thing, the ravings of a madman that didn’t seem to make much sense. The human had been alone on an outpost for nearly half a year and was in very rough shape. At the time, what it had told him had gone over Dagoth’s head as unimportant mumblings but he decided he wanted to try it now, since there was nothing to lose.
“I want to … par lhey?” He mumbled out, the pirate merely two meters away.
It froze in its tracks when it heard the xeno speak. “What did you say?”
Dagoth cleared his throat and tried again. “I want to parlay? Parlez? Parley?”
The human blinked rapidly and then cursed, spitting on the ground in front of the xenos. “Alright, I’ll go get the captain. You’re lucky.” He said the last part as he pointed to the one who had insulted him.
The pirate left the room to everyone’s surprise. “What did you do? What was that?” Every crew member was throwing questions his way and Dagoth tried calming them down.
“It’s something I overheard once, from a strange person. This makes us able to speak to the captain to try and negotiate something. I know a little more but I’m not sure it makes sense, won’t hurt to try it though. Does anyone know where our captain is?”
“They took him away when they rounded us all up. They’re probably torturing him or something. Knowing the captain, he likely secured the cargo.” Replied one of the crew members.
The pirate returned to the room where they were held and spoke up. “Hey, come with me. Yeah, you, the one who asked for a parlay. The captain is busy right now but he’ll see you.”
Another pirate awaited outside the doors to the room and escorted Dagoth to the cargo hold. Inside, a half a dozen pirates stood with their weapons drawn as one of them punched on a figure tied to a chair. When the pirate administering the torture moved, Dagoth saw that the captain was tied to the chair, battered and bloody. He and the captain did not often see eye to eye but it still sent a painful feeling to his heart seeing him like this.
“I need the codes, Captain, sooner or later my men will break the encryption.” The pirate who was only moments ago punching the captain spoke up.
“I’m dead either way.” Spat out the captain. “Hah, have you come to try and use my crew as hostages to get me to comply? It won’t work.” He said, looking at Dagoth.
“Strangely enough, no. As if that kind of tactic would work on a slimy slaver like you, who cares about nothing but himself. On the contrary, this crew member of yours has asked for parlay.”
“What’s this parlay?” The captain asked.
“It’s part of an ancient pirate code of honor, something you have none of, that obligates us to hear him out before we proceed. Not many know of it which is why I’m especially intrigued how he came aware of it. What’s your name?” The pirate leader towered over Dagoth, looking at him with eyes that could pierce steel.
“Dagoth.”
“Speak now, Dagoth, or forever hold your peace.”
Dagoth swallowed and repeated the phrase in his mind. It made no sense and he was sure it would get him killed but the first part had worked, what did he have to lose?
Dagoth spoke loud and clear. "I've always seeded generously, I'd like a trial by my peers."
Reflexively, the pirates all replied in perfect harmony. “Praise be the seeder, he who keeps his ratios above 1.0”
The pirate leader stepped towards Dagoth, who tried his best to stay still and upright. “I am most curious as to how you know our creed. Nonetheless, I must hold my end of the bargain. You may ask for anything that is within my power and I will comply if I can.”
Dagoth blinked in disbelief. Anything? It didn’t make sense, the pirates have them at such a disadvantage, why would they grant anything because of a mysterious passcode? Naturally, he’d ask for them to leave them alone and resume their route but he was also curious about a few things.
“Can I ask a few questions first?” Ventured Dagoth, hoping to gain some information before making a decision.
“Mhmm, I suppose I can do as much, yes,” replied the pirate leader.
Dagoth looked over to his captain. “Why are you torturing him?”
“He will not divulge the code to open this cargo container. It contains something we need. In fact, what it contains is the sole reason we attacked you.” The pirate leader seemed to be speaking honestly.
“What is inside then?” followed up Dagoth.
“Slaves. Human slaves. Captured from our world during the war and shipped out all over the galaxy.” The pirate leader clenched his fists as he spoke, looking over at the xeno captain with hate.
“Wait, you must be mistaken. We move some contraband sometimes, I turn a blindeye to it of course, drugs and stolen goods but not slaves.” Dagoth tried looking over at his captain for support.
“You naive fool,” spat out the captain. “Why did you think you were being paid so much?”
Dagoth’s stomach turned, he felt sick to his core. All this time, every instance that the captain smuggled something, it was slaves?
One of the pirates yelled out.” I’ve got it! Sending it and… it’s unlocked!”
The cargo container door hissed open, revealing a handful of humans crouched low on the floor, wearing little but rags and visibly malnourished. They shied away from the light until one of them recognized a human pirate and jumped into its arms, tears flowing from both of their faces.
“Most call us pirates but really, we’re more like rebels. The peace treaty our governments signed prevents them from seeking and aiding the millions of humans taken away as slaves during the war. We have to act outside the boundaries of the law to reunite families and free the oppressed. In order to keep up appearances, we raid traders every so often but this is our main goal.” The pirate leader crossed his arms, looking over at the xeno captain.
“Now you, for crimes against humanity and your refusal to assist, I sentence you to the plank. May whatever deity you have grant you their mercy because I won’t.”
The pirates began putting a space suit on the captain even as he tried resisting and then two of them grabbed each side of him, hauling him off to the pirate ship.
“What will happen to him?” asked Dagoth.
“He will walk the plank. A long stretch of metal plate that leads off into space from our airlock. He will then float in space until he either starves, suffocates or manages to end it himself.”
The pirate leader continued. “Now, have you made your decision? What favor would you like?”
Dagoth sighed, he’d been thinking a lot since coming to terms with the fact that he facilitated slave trading and it gnawed at the back of his mind. “I’d like to join your crew, I must make amends in order to have peace of mind for my part in this slave trading.”
“Hmmm, a response I did not expect but one I respect. Very well, Captain Dagoth, I hereby welcome you into our dysfunctional family.”
“What? I’m not a captain.” retorted Dagoth
“It’d be a waste to scrap this vessel don’t you think? I can see how your crew was oblivious to what was really happening, if they wish to join as well, make the offer. Else, I’m afraid it’s the plank. We take no prisoners, remember?” The pirate leader flashed a devious smile to Dagoth. If only he knew what he’d gotten himself into.

Exploring Systemic/Institutional Racism in Ontario
Institutions: Education, Employment, Housing, and Policing
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario in 2020
Synopsis
Presently, in 2020, there are politicians, government agencies and social justice movements criticizing the Ontarian system for being racist and for promoting inequality and serving the interests on one group, based on race, over all others. The claim is that Ontario’s systems/institutions prefers/protects Whites in every aspect of life. This writing will address the systems/institutions ( education, employment, housing, and policing ) that the critics cite responsible for serving the interests of White people over other races and are designed to keep White people in power and control. This writing will not address Indigenous peoples as that dynamic is uniquely nuanced and different from the experiences of other Ontarians.

Institutional Racism: Definitions

Camara Phyllis Jones
Camara Phyllis Jones defines institutionalized racism as the structures, policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race. Institutionalized racism is normative, sometimes legalized) and often manifests as inherited disadvantage. It is structural, having been absorbed into our institutions of custom, practice, and law, so there need not be an identifiable offender. Indeed, institutionalized racism is often evident as inaction in the face of need, manifesting itself both in material conditions and in access to power. With regard to the former, examples include differential access to quality education, sound housing, gainful employment, appropriate medical facilities, and a clean environment.
Solid Ground
Solid Ground, an organization that works to combat poverty, describes institutionalized racism as the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color. Institutional racism dates back to slavery, segregation, internment camps, and Indian reservations. Such form of racism can be present in institutions mainly designed to benefit and cater to the lives of whites, such as bank lending policies and different housing contracts, which both deny people of color from living in certain neighborhoods or areas. Many people of color are also racially profiled by law enforcement, and many groups are misrepresented in news and other media. There are also restrictions to certain types of employment, as well as advancements in the workplace, which are strictly based on one's race. * ( 1 )
Ontario: Differential access to quality education
In examining if the educational system in Ontario is inherently biased/racist/discriminatory on a systemic level, the funding requires examination.
How funding is structured
In Ontario, elementary and secondary school is free and available to all people. The Ministry of Education provides the majority of operating funding to Ontario’s 72 district school boards through the annual GSN, also known as “the funding formula.” The GSN is a collection of grants described in detail in an annual regulation under the Education Act.
There are two major components of the GSN:
1) The Foundation Grants cover the basic costs of an educational experience that is common to all students, which is allocated based on student enrolment and the number of schools. The per student allocation is equal across all races. In this grant, all races/colours are equal.
2) The Special Purpose Grants address the unique needs of students, schools and school boards related to location, student and school needs, and a board’s demographic profile. The ministry recognizes that conditions vary widely across Ontario and the funding formula cannot take every situation into account. * ( 2 )
There is no evidence to support any practise of students receiving more money for being White or for predominantly White schools receiving more money based on race. In fact, there is evidence that the opposite is true and non-Whites are categorized as “marginalized” and receive increased funding. * ( 3 )
In July of 2020, the provincial government committed to providing $3.5 million to support the Black and Indigenous grad coach programs, which provide wrap-around supports for students who are at risk of not graduating. * ( 4 ) White students are not eligible for this program and there are no programs to support White people exclusively.
Teaching
All public schools require teachers to be accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers. There are no rules, laws, policies to place “better teachers” in schools based on the race of students anywhere in Ontario.
Toronto District School Board (TDSB)
The largest school board in Ontario is the TDSB. They prioritize Black and Indigenous students. They have a special anti-Black racism mandate. * ( 5 )
Ontario: Colleges and Universities
In addition to Charter protection and the Ontario Human Rights Code, all colleges and universities in Ontario have inclusion and diversity/anti-racism policies/departments to address allegations of unfair practice/programs/policies.

OSAP: Ontario Student Assistance Program

In Ontario, student loans are available to those financially eligible. Being White does not increase eligibility. * ( 6 )
Preferential Eligibility
There are special programs in place to assist non-White students enter prestigious academic programs based on being racialized/ non-White. These programs make it an advantage to be non-White and a disadvantage in being White with respect to admission.
Queens Medical School
As per their website:
Queen’s University is working to reduce systemic barriers to medical education by allocating 10 of its 100 seats in each class of its MD program to Black and Indigenous students, starting with the 2020-2021 undergraduate application cycle. These 10 seats will be made available through the Queen’s University Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) pathway, which was launched in 2012. * ( 7 )
University of Toronto: Black Student Application Program
As per their website:
The Black Student Application Program (BSAP) is an optional application stream for Black applicants who self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American, multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry, etc.
The aim of this application program is to increase and support Black medical student representation at the University of Toronto. Through BSAP, we hope to break down some of the barriers that might impede Black students from applying, and nurture an inclusive environment that is welcoming to all. * ( 8 )
Ontario: Housing and Gainful Employment
In Ontario, the Human Rights Code protects the area of housing/employment and protects people on the grounds of race/coloucountry of origin/ethnic origin/ancestry. In Ontario, since the 1950’s there has been legislation in place to ensure equitable treatment in housing and employment.
In 1962, The Ontario Human Rights Code, the first law of its kind in Canada, was proclaimed on the 747th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. This law replaced Ontario’s previous anti-discrimination legislation: the Fair Employment Practices Act 1951, Female Employee’s Fair Remuneration Act 1951, Fair Accommodation Practices Act 1954, and the Ontario Anti-Discrimination Commission Act 1954. The Code prohibits actions that discriminate against people on a protected ground in a protected social area. The Ontario Human Rights Commission was also established to administer and enforce this legislation.
The 1962 version of the OHRC prohibited discrimination in signs, services, facilities, public accommodation, employee and trade union membership on the grounds of “race, creed, colour, nationality, ancestry, and place of origin. The Code was updated in 1990 and makes discrimination based on race/colour illegal in housing and employment.
Ontario Housing and Ontario Works
Free housing is available for those qualify financially regardless of race/colour. There is also welfare, Ontario Works, as well which provides a monthly allowance to anyone that qualifies financially, regardless of race.
Ontario Government: Anti Racism Unit
The Ontario government has an anti-racism unit that seeks to actively fight against discrimination in Ontario。Their data reveals the following 4 points about discrimination in employment:

1. Racialized females have a higher “standard employment

relationships” ( SER) than White females. (51 to 48%).
Report: “Figure 1 shows the prevalence of SER for men and
women from white and racialized groups. We limit the analysis to
white and non-white or racialized groups. Only the results for men
from racialized groups are statistically significant, with white men
more likely to report being in SER than men from racialized
groups. While there is a historical legacy of SER as the norm for
white men, that advantage appears to have diminished. “ * ( 9 )
2.” Education (sic: not race/colour) is the best indicator for having job security. “ * ( 10 )

1. The employment rate- from 2005 statistics- for racialized people

is 61.9% and for non-racialized people is 63%. This is a
marginal difference that is not indicative of any “systemic
issues”. * ( 11 )
4.There are many racialized groups with a higher employment
rate than Whites. This counters the “White privilege” narrative:
Black 63.8 to 63%
Filipino 71.6 to 63%
Latin American 66.3 to 63%
Visible Minority 65.4 to 63%
Multiple Visible Minority 65.9 to 63%
*(similar) South East Asian 62.2 to 63%
Source : “Ontario‟s Growing Gap. The Role of Race”-2005 data. * ( 12 )
Ontario: Appropriate Medical Facilities
In Ontario, regardless of race/colour, residents all receive the same free access to healthcare. The care is equal across all races/colours.

Services covered by OHIP

OHIP covers part or all of the following services:
​

• visits to doctors
• hospital visits and stays
• medical or surgical abortions
• eligible dental surgery in hospital
• eligible optometry (eye-health services)
• podiatry (foot-health services)
• ambulance services
• travel for health services if you live in northern Ontario * ( 13 )

ODSP
For those that qualify financially, all people have equal access to the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) to help those with medical issues/disabilities/mental health equally applied to all races. * ( 14 ) There are also federal programs such as Old Age Security (OAS) to support the elderly that can provide up to $1,800/month for those eligible regardless of race/colour. * ( 15 )
Systemic Racism in Policing
OHRC report says “ Other “ racialized group have advantage over Whites
OHRC Report “A Disparate Impact “
“The results suggest that 45.5% of all charges involved White suspects, 32.4% involved Black suspects and 22.2% involved suspects from other racial minority groups (Table B1).”
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a report looking to find racial bias in Policing in Toronto by the Toronto Police Services (TPS). The report divided the city’s population into three groups: Black, White, “Other”.
The report states: Whites make 48% of the population and represent 45.5% of all criminal charges which is a neutral representation. The “other racial minority” group represents 42.8% of the population and 22.2% of total charges which is a favourable representation. This shows that “other racialized people” are the lowest group to be charged criminally. * ( 16 ) This proves that statistically the system of Policing in Toronto favours non-Whites/”Other Races” over Whites.
White Males Also Overrepresented
The OHRC report also states on page 78: “White males are also over-represented in the convictions data (odds ratio = 1.9). All other gender-race categories are under-represented.” * ( 17 )This is also reflective of a system void of any systemic preference designed to favour White males.
A system that statistically treats White people neutrally and “Other Racialized Groups” better than Whites does not meet the criteria of “systemic racism”. A racist system/institution would treat Whites favourably and not neutrally and would not have “Other” treated better. It is mutually exclusive for a system to be designed to favouprotect White males to charge them criminally more than “other race” and with a greater proportionality than their representation in the population. This indicates behavior, not race, is the factor responsible for representation in criminal statistics.
OIPRD
The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) receives, manages and oversees all complaints about police in Ontario. As an independent civilian oversight agency, the OIPRD ensures all public complaints against the police are dealt with in a manner that is transparent, effective and fair. This mechanism is in place as part of the system to ensure laws are enforced and people, of all races/colours, are treated fairly. * ( 18 )
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO)
There may be individuals of all races/colours who, despite the laws, engage in discriminatory practices. These people are held accountable by another mechanism in the system. The Human Rights Code is enforced by the HRTO and protects people on Code grounds in employment, housing and in the receipt of services. There are no fees to file a complaint and Complainants cannot be held accountable for the legal fees of the defendants.
HRLSC
The system also provides free legal services to support Complainants at the HRTO. The state provides free legal guidance and representation at mediations and hearings to Complainants when seeking to have their human rights protected. The Human Rights Legal Support Center (HRLSC) is the expert in the Code and is a mechanism to ensure people have fair access to justice. The HRLSC has guidelines to prioritize Black and Indigenous clients. They rarely, if ever, accept White clients making an application based on experiencing discrimination based on their race.
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario, Canada: 2020
Argument One: Slavery
The argument for the existence of anti-Black racism in Ontario in 2020 starts with the theory that Black people are at a disadvantage compared to everyone else because of slavery. The sports analogy of a racing competition with different starting positions based on one’s race/colour is frequently applied. The crux of the argument is that, due to slavery in Ontario, Black people are still behind everyone else and not have an equal starting point.
Black Slavery and Pre-Confederation Canada:
Slavery ended in the British Empire in 1834 and Canada, via Confederation, became an independent nation in 1867. There was never legal slavery in Canada. One estimate claims half of the white settlers of North America were indentured servants a.k.a. “White slaves”. * ( 19 ) There were far more “White slaves” than any other race.
History of New France
1,400 Slaves between 1600’s and 1831
Slavery, in what is now Canada, predates the arrival of Europeans, with some Indigenous peoples enslaving prisoners taken in war. * ( 20 ) Some French colonists acquired enslaved Black people through private sales, and some received Indigenous and African slaves as gifts from Indigenous allies. Out of approximately 4,200 slaves in New France at the peak of slavery, about 2,700 were Indigenous people who were enslaved until 1783, and at least 1,443 were Black people who were enslaved between the late 1600s and 1831. The rest of the slaves were from other territories and other countries. * ( 21 )
Slavery and Pre-Confederation Upper Canada (Ontario)
History of British North America
Around 3,000 enslaved men, women and children of African descent were brought into British North America. By the 1790s, the number of enslaved Black people in the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) ranged from 1,200 to 2,000. There were about 300 in Lower Canada (Québec), and between 500 and 700 in Upper Canada (Ontario). * ( 22 ) This pre-dates Confederation and the creation of Ontario hence slavery never existed in Ontario.
Black Slavery and Ontario Today
700 Black Slaves
In 1793 Upper Canada (now Ontario) passed the Anti‐slavery Act. The law freed enslaved people aged 25 and over and made it illegal to bring enslaved people into Upper Canada. * ( 23 ) Save for the 700 people that were enslaved and their direct ancestors, the remaining Black people emigrated to Ontario by their own choice and free will.
Systemic Racism in Policing
Argument Two: Policing Killing of Blacks
After the claim that slavery is responsible for placing Black people in Ontario in 2020 at a distinct disadvantage, the next point is that Police in Ontario are racist and a threat to the safety of Black people. The critics claim that Black people in Ontario are endangered and killed for sport with impunity by the Police in Ontario.
Police Shootings
The CBC’s Database shows that since 2011, ZERO, unarmed Black people have been shot and killed by Toronto Police Services and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have shot and killed ZERO, unarmed Black people since the year 2000- the first year of the CBC study. * ( 24 ) The data demonstrates, across all races, that if one is unarmed, sober, and cooperative with Police in Toronto, and in Ontario, and across Canada, it is a statistical improbability of being harmed/killed by the Police.
The Police, or any system, are never responsible for someone choosing to arm themselves, threaten the safety of others, or intoxicate themselves. The other leading contributing factor to “use of force” Police interactions is presenting with mental health issues.
The OHRC’s “Use of Force” report covers 2013 to 2017, in which the Toronto Police Services killed zero, unarmed Black people. There were nine shootings and seven deaths over this period involving Black people. Eight of the nine people shot were armed and the lone, unarmed person was not shot fatally. This is as per the data from Tables 19 and 26. * ( 25 )
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) also released reports that found “other racialized groups” , not Whites, are the group less arrested, less shot by Police, less involved in crime, less involved in “use of force” by Police .
Argument Three: Overrepresentation in Incarceration Rates
Another common claim for the existence of anti-Black racism is that Blacks are over represented in crime data. The representation reflects participation in crimes and is not indicative of a designed “ system bias” or “ system failure “.The presented stats indicate that involvement with the criminal justice system mirrors criminal activity. The people that do the most serious crimes and present the greatest risk to the safety of others will be the predominant focus of the Police regardless of colourace or any other factor. Neither the Police, nor any system, is responsible for someone illegally possessing a weapon or discharging a weapon in a dangerous fashion.
CRIME CRISIS
2020 will see over 400 shootings in GTA. * ( 26 ) As of December 7, 2020, there have been 67 murders. * ( 27 ) This crime epidemic is having a terrible impact on the city of Toronto. * ( 28 ) The majority of the victims have been identified as Black but no group is immune from the indiscriminate vioence. The crisis is highlighted by the tragic shooting death of a 12 year old boy . * ( 29 )
No Reasonable Link to Systemic Racism
No reasonable person would claim that “systemic racism” would be responsible for a person acquiring a gun illegally, conspiring to use a gun, participating in a shooting. The factors that make a person a killer or one who would fire a weapon at another person are vast, complex, and not truly understood. It cannot be suggested that merely by living in Ontario, the exposure to the systems/institutions would be contributing factors to someone shooting someone.
These institutions/systems support everyone, yet statistically only one group has a disproportionate proclivity for violent, crime. Groups, such as the Chinese, have a larger population than Blacks yet are involved in almost zero violent crimes. One would presume that the racist system would impact the Chinese as well yet there is no evidence of any systemic bias causing the Chinese to engage in violent, criminal behaviour. In fact, this systemic racism only causes the Black community, and no other, to commit deadly, violent crimes in Ontario.
Violent Crimes
Ontario has the race-based statistics to demonstrate which groups are responsible for the most serious criminal offences. These figures are not released to the public. However, informal and unofficial research such as researching the names of suspects, as they are released to the public, in order to compile unofficial race-based, age, gender data numbers find statistics that mirror the United States. The evidence demonstrates that, in Ontario, Whites are killed by Blacks and not the reverse.
No Reliable Race-Based Data in 2020
In 2015, a journalist found that for the 18 identities that they could confirm, 14 of the suspects for murder were Black males. 14/18 is about 80%. * ( 30 ) ( 31 ) An independent review of the 2020 shootings in Toronto finds the number higher. In calculating the occasions when a photo or race description is provided along with additional research, an informal and unscientific data group can be created. Additionally, when the names are presented, online research- when able to find a photo- conservatively finds that in at least 80% of the time, the photo is of a young, Black male.
The worst shooting of 2020 allegedly involved two young Black men: Rashawn Chambers, 24, of Toronto and 24 year old Jahwayne Smart.
* ( 32 ) This caused the senseless death of a 12 year old boy.
The shooting at the Scarborough Town Center in July allegedly involved a Black male (26) and a Black female (21). Shaquille Small is charged, assumed innocent, with murder for killing a Black male in the STC mall parking lot at 2 p.m. * ( 33 ) The mall shooting reminded the province of the Toronto Eaton Center murders by Christopher Husbands. In 2012, Husbands, then 23, opened fire in the city’s busiest mall and killed two men and injured six including a fleeing pregnant woman: a13 year old boy suffered a gun shot to the head. * ( 34 ) Husbands was on bail at the time for a sexual assault charge.
2020 has also seen an 18 year old, Black male, Christopher Mitchell, charged with the murder of a 54 year old White male. Presumed innocence and not yet convicted, this case might result in hate crimes being added to the other charges facing Mitchell. There appears to be no other reasoning for the murder. * ( 35)
Michael Roberts (20) is described by Police as Black (no photo available) and has been charged with the murder of a young White man in what might also potentially include subsequent hate crimes. Jakub Sudomericky was murdered in another example of random and unnecessary violence. The unarmed, 21 year old victim was shot in the back in a LCBO parking lot after what was allegedly a dispute inside the liquor store over social distancing. * ( 36 )
Caveat
The projection of 80% is also unreliable because this data is from suspects and not convictions which leaves this data with no scientific weight. However, as the government, politicians and media refuse to release the information, this informal investigation approach is the best available data collection method.
Non-Violent Crimes
The OHRC was granted access to race-based crime stats but elected to use eight non-violent offences. Their data found that Black males are significantly more involved in criminal activity than any other demographic. The unreleased data for gun-related and serious criminal offences is far higher.
OHRC: “Additional analysis reveals that although Black males represent only 4% of Toronto’s population, they are involved in 27% of charges that result in a conviction (see Table E14). In other words, Black males are 6.8 times more likely to appear in charges that result in convictions than their representation in the general population would predict.” * ( 37 )
Disproportionate Participation/Responsibility for Violence
The population in Ontario as of January 1, 2020 was 14, 711,000- about 15 million people. In the 2016 Census, the Black population totalled 1,198,540, encompassing 3.5% of the country's population.The 2016 estimated Black population of Ontario was 627,000. Toronto had the largest Black population in the country, with 442,015 people or 36.9% of Canada's Black population.
In 2006, Blacks made up 8.4 % of Toronto’s population. In using 8% as the population and assuming 4% are males and 4 percent are females and accounting for those under the age of 16 and over the age of 40, one could conservatively estimate that less than 2% of Toronto’s population is a Black, male between the ages of 16 and 40. This under 2% of the population in Toronto is reportedly, unverified, responsible for at least 80% of the violent gun crimes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This data extrapolation requires independent and official substantiating.
If this holds true and with equal access to , social services, employment, health care and education, this demographic is uniquely responsible for the shooting deaths without any link to systemic racism. This is a causal effect from another source. This same core issue would also account for other data used to support the theory of systemic racism as responsible for over representation in other data groups.
Black Lives Matter
Every reasonable person in Ontario recognizes the value of Black lives. The province is dedicated to supporting the community to prevent crime and protect people. The majority of victims of serious, violent, gun crimes are Black. The system taking appropriate action to protect the residents/citizens is serving its function and a failure to take action against perpetrators of serious crimes based on the race/colour of the criminals and leaving Black people more vulnerable as potential victims would be an example of systemic racism. A system that seeks to arrest/jail/police those that kill Black people is not engaging in racist behaviour rather the opposite. It would be racist for the Police to not protect the Black community.

Exploring Systemic/Institutional Racism in Ontario
Institutions: Education, Employment, Housing, and Policing
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario in 2020
Synopsis
Presently, in 2020, there are politicians, government agencies and social justice movements criticizing the Ontarian system for being racist and for promoting inequality and serving the interests on one group, based on race, over all others. The claim is that Ontario’s systems/institutions prefers/protects Whites in every aspect of life. This writing will address the systems/institutions ( education, employment, housing, and policing ) that the critics cite responsible for serving the interests of White people over other races and are designed to keep White people in power and control. This writing will not address Indigenous peoples as that dynamic is uniquely nuanced and different from the experiences of other Ontarians.

Institutional Racism: Definitions

Camara Phyllis Jones
Camara Phyllis Jones defines institutionalized racism as the structures, policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race. Institutionalized racism is normative, sometimes legalized) and often manifests as inherited disadvantage. It is structural, having been absorbed into our institutions of custom, practice, and law, so there need not be an identifiable offender. Indeed, institutionalized racism is often evident as inaction in the face of need, manifesting itself both in material conditions and in access to power. With regard to the former, examples include differential access to quality education, sound housing, gainful employment, appropriate medical facilities, and a clean environment.
Solid Ground
Solid Ground, an organization that works to combat poverty, describes institutionalized racism as the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color. Institutional racism dates back to slavery, segregation, internment camps, and Indian reservations. Such form of racism can be present in institutions mainly designed to benefit and cater to the lives of whites, such as bank lending policies and different housing contracts, which both deny people of color from living in certain neighborhoods or areas. Many people of color are also racially profiled by law enforcement, and many groups are misrepresented in news and other media. There are also restrictions to certain types of employment, as well as advancements in the workplace, which are strictly based on one's race. * ( 1 )
Ontario: Differential access to quality education
In examining if the educational system in Ontario is inherently biased/racist/discriminatory on a systemic level, the funding requires examination.
How funding is structured
In Ontario, elementary and secondary school is free and available to all people. The Ministry of Education provides the majority of operating funding to Ontario’s 72 district school boards through the annual GSN, also known as “the funding formula.” The GSN is a collection of grants described in detail in an annual regulation under the Education Act.
There are two major components of the GSN:
1) The Foundation Grants cover the basic costs of an educational experience that is common to all students, which is allocated based on student enrolment and the number of schools. The per student allocation is equal across all races. In this grant, all races/colours are equal.
2) The Special Purpose Grants address the unique needs of students, schools and school boards related to location, student and school needs, and a board’s demographic profile. The ministry recognizes that conditions vary widely across Ontario and the funding formula cannot take every situation into account. * ( 2 )
There is no evidence to support any practise of students receiving more money for being White or for predominantly White schools receiving more money based on race. In fact, there is evidence that the opposite is true and non-Whites are categorized as “marginalized” and receive increased funding. * ( 3 )
In July of 2020, the provincial government committed to providing $3.5 million to support the Black and Indigenous grad coach programs, which provide wrap-around supports for students who are at risk of not graduating. * ( 4 ) White students are not eligible for this program and there are no programs to support White people exclusively.
Teaching
All public schools require teachers to be accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers. There are no rules, laws, policies to place “better teachers” in schools based on the race of students anywhere in Ontario.
Toronto District School Board (TDSB)
The largest school board in Ontario is the TDSB. They prioritize Black and Indigenous students. They have a special anti-Black racism mandate. * ( 5 )
Ontario: Colleges and Universities
In addition to Charter protection and the Ontario Human Rights Code, all colleges and universities in Ontario have inclusion and diversity/anti-racism policies/departments to address allegations of unfair practice/programs/policies.

OSAP: Ontario Student Assistance Program

In Ontario, student loans are available to those financially eligible. Being White does not increase eligibility. * ( 6 )
Preferential Eligibility
There are special programs in place to assist non-White students enter prestigious academic programs based on being racialized/ non-White. These programs make it an advantage to be non-White and a disadvantage in being White with respect to admission.
Queens Medical School
As per their website:
Queen’s University is working to reduce systemic barriers to medical education by allocating 10 of its 100 seats in each class of its MD program to Black and Indigenous students, starting with the 2020-2021 undergraduate application cycle. These 10 seats will be made available through the Queen’s University Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) pathway, which was launched in 2012. * ( 7 )
University of Toronto: Black Student Application Program
As per their website:
The Black Student Application Program (BSAP) is an optional application stream for Black applicants who self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American, multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry, etc.
The aim of this application program is to increase and support Black medical student representation at the University of Toronto. Through BSAP, we hope to break down some of the barriers that might impede Black students from applying, and nurture an inclusive environment that is welcoming to all. * ( 8 )
Ontario: Housing and Gainful Employment
In Ontario, the Human Rights Code protects the area of housing/employment and protects people on the grounds of race/coloucountry of origin/ethnic origin/ancestry. In Ontario, since the 1950’s there has been legislation in place to ensure equitable treatment in housing and employment.
In 1962, The Ontario Human Rights Code, the first law of its kind in Canada, was proclaimed on the 747th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. This law replaced Ontario’s previous anti-discrimination legislation: the Fair Employment Practices Act 1951, Female Employee’s Fair Remuneration Act 1951, Fair Accommodation Practices Act 1954, and the Ontario Anti-Discrimination Commission Act 1954. The Code prohibits actions that discriminate against people on a protected ground in a protected social area. The Ontario Human Rights Commission was also established to administer and enforce this legislation.
The 1962 version of the OHRC prohibited discrimination in signs, services, facilities, public accommodation, employee and trade union membership on the grounds of “race, creed, colour, nationality, ancestry, and place of origin. The Code was updated in 1990 and makes discrimination based on race/colour illegal in housing and employment.
Ontario Housing and Ontario Works
Free housing is available for those qualify financially regardless of race/colour. There is also welfare, Ontario Works, as well which provides a monthly allowance to anyone that qualifies financially, regardless of race.
Ontario Government: Anti Racism Unit
The Ontario government has an anti-racism unit that seeks to actively fight against discrimination in Ontario。Their data reveals the following 4 points about discrimination in employment:

1. Racialized females have a higher “standard employment

relationships” ( SER) than White females. (51 to 48%).
Report: “Figure 1 shows the prevalence of SER for men and
women from white and racialized groups. We limit the analysis to
white and non-white or racialized groups. Only the results for men
from racialized groups are statistically significant, with white men
more likely to report being in SER than men from racialized
groups. While there is a historical legacy of SER as the norm for
white men, that advantage appears to have diminished. “ * ( 9 )
2.” Education (sic: not race/colour) is the best indicator for having job security. “ * ( 10 )

1. The employment rate- from 2005 statistics- for racialized people

is 61.9% and for non-racialized people is 63%. This is a
marginal difference that is not indicative of any “systemic
issues”. * ( 11 )
4.There are many racialized groups with a higher employment
rate than Whites. This counters the “White privilege” narrative:
Black 63.8 to 63%
Filipino 71.6 to 63%
Latin American 66.3 to 63%
Visible Minority 65.4 to 63%
Multiple Visible Minority 65.9 to 63%
*(similar) South East Asian 62.2 to 63%
Source : “Ontario‟s Growing Gap. The Role of Race”-2005 data. * ( 12 )
Ontario: Appropriate Medical Facilities
In Ontario, regardless of race/colour, residents all receive the same free access to healthcare. The care is equal across all races/colours.

Services covered by OHIP

OHIP covers part or all of the following services:
​

• visits to doctors
• hospital visits and stays
• medical or surgical abortions
• eligible dental surgery in hospital
• eligible optometry (eye-health services)
• podiatry (foot-health services)
• ambulance services
• travel for health services if you live in northern Ontario * ( 13 )

ODSP
For those that qualify financially, all people have equal access to the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) to help those with medical issues/disabilities/mental health equally applied to all races. * ( 14 ) There are also federal programs such as Old Age Security (OAS) to support the elderly that can provide up to $1,800/month for those eligible regardless of race/colour. * ( 15 )
Systemic Racism in Policing
OHRC report says “ Other “ racialized group have advantage over Whites
OHRC Report “A Disparate Impact “
“The results suggest that 45.5% of all charges involved White suspects, 32.4% involved Black suspects and 22.2% involved suspects from other racial minority groups (Table B1).”
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a report looking to find racial bias in Policing in Toronto by the Toronto Police Services (TPS). The report divided the city’s population into three groups: Black, White, “Other”.
The report states: Whites make 48% of the population and represent 45.5% of all criminal charges which is a neutral representation. The “other racial minority” group represents 42.8% of the population and 22.2% of total charges which is a favourable representation. This shows that “other racialized people” are the lowest group to be charged criminally. * ( 16 ) This proves that statistically the system of Policing in Toronto favours non-Whites/”Other Races” over Whites.
White Males Also Overrepresented
The OHRC report also states on page 78: “White males are also over-represented in the convictions data (odds ratio = 1.9). All other gender-race categories are under-represented.” * ( 17 )This is also reflective of a system void of any systemic preference designed to favour White males.
A system that statistically treats White people neutrally and “Other Racialized Groups” better than Whites does not meet the criteria of “systemic racism”. A racist system/institution would treat Whites favourably and not neutrally and would not have “Other” treated better. It is mutually exclusive for a system to be designed to favouprotect White males to charge them criminally more than “other race” and with a greater proportionality than their representation in the population. This indicates behavior, not race, is the factor responsible for representation in criminal statistics.
OIPRD
The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) receives, manages and oversees all complaints about police in Ontario. As an independent civilian oversight agency, the OIPRD ensures all public complaints against the police are dealt with in a manner that is transparent, effective and fair. This mechanism is in place as part of the system to ensure laws are enforced and people, of all races/colours, are treated fairly. * ( 18 )
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO)
There may be individuals of all races/colours who, despite the laws, engage in discriminatory practices. These people are held accountable by another mechanism in the system. The Human Rights Code is enforced by the HRTO and protects people on Code grounds in employment, housing and in the receipt of services. There are no fees to file a complaint and Complainants cannot be held accountable for the legal fees of the defendants.
HRLSC
The system also provides free legal services to support Complainants at the HRTO. The state provides free legal guidance and representation at mediations and hearings to Complainants when seeking to have their human rights protected. The Human Rights Legal Support Center (HRLSC) is the expert in the Code and is a mechanism to ensure people have fair access to justice. The HRLSC has guidelines to prioritize Black and Indigenous clients. They rarely, if ever, accept White clients making an application based on experiencing discrimination based on their race.
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario, Canada: 2020
Argument One: Slavery
The argument for the existence of anti-Black racism in Ontario in 2020 starts with the theory that Black people are at a disadvantage compared to everyone else because of slavery. The sports analogy of a racing competition with different starting positions based on one’s race/colour is frequently applied. The crux of the argument is that, due to slavery in Ontario, Black people are still behind everyone else and not have an equal starting point.
Black Slavery and Pre-Confederation Canada:
Slavery ended in the British Empire in 1834 and Canada, via Confederation, became an independent nation in 1867. There was never legal slavery in Canada. One estimate claims half of the white settlers of North America were indentured servants a.k.a. “White slaves”. * ( 19 ) There were far more “White slaves” than any other race.
History of New France
1,400 Slaves between 1600’s and 1831
Slavery, in what is now Canada, predates the arrival of Europeans, with some Indigenous peoples enslaving prisoners taken in war. * ( 20 ) Some French colonists acquired enslaved Black people through private sales, and some received Indigenous and African slaves as gifts from Indigenous allies. Out of approximately 4,200 slaves in New France at the peak of slavery, about 2,700 were Indigenous people who were enslaved until 1783, and at least 1,443 were Black people who were enslaved between the late 1600s and 1831. The rest of the slaves were from other territories and other countries. * ( 21 )
Slavery and Pre-Confederation Upper Canada (Ontario)
History of British North America
Around 3,000 enslaved men, women and children of African descent were brought into British North America. By the 1790s, the number of enslaved Black people in the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) ranged from 1,200 to 2,000. There were about 300 in Lower Canada (Québec), and between 500 and 700 in Upper Canada (Ontario). * ( 22 ) This pre-dates Confederation and the creation of Ontario hence slavery never existed in Ontario.
Black Slavery and Ontario Today
700 Black Slaves
In 1793 Upper Canada (now Ontario) passed the Anti‐slavery Act. The law freed enslaved people aged 25 and over and made it illegal to bring enslaved people into Upper Canada. * ( 23 ) Save for the 700 people that were enslaved and their direct ancestors, the remaining Black people emigrated to Ontario by their own choice and free will.
Systemic Racism in Policing
Argument Two: Policing Killing of Blacks
After the claim that slavery is responsible for placing Black people in Ontario in 2020 at a distinct disadvantage, the next point is that Police in Ontario are racist and a threat to the safety of Black people. The critics claim that Black people in Ontario are endangered and killed for sport with impunity by the Police in Ontario.
Police Shootings
The CBC’s Database shows that since 2011, ZERO, unarmed Black people have been shot and killed by Toronto Police Services and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have shot and killed ZERO, unarmed Black people since the year 2000- the first year of the CBC study. * ( 24 ) The data demonstrates, across all races, that if one is unarmed, sober, and cooperative with Police in Toronto, and in Ontario, and across Canada, it is a statistical improbability of being harmed/killed by the Police.
The Police, or any system, are never responsible for someone choosing to arm themselves, threaten the safety of others, or intoxicate themselves. The other leading contributing factor to “use of force” Police interactions is presenting with mental health issues.
The OHRC’s “Use of Force” report covers 2013 to 2017, in which the Toronto Police Services killed zero, unarmed Black people. There were nine shootings and seven deaths over this period involving Black people. Eight of the nine people shot were armed and the lone, unarmed person was not shot fatally. This is as per the data from Tables 19 and 26. * ( 25 )
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) also released reports that found “other racialized groups” , not Whites, are the group less arrested, less shot by Police, less involved in crime, less involved in “use of force” by Police .
Argument Three: Overrepresentation in Incarceration Rates
Another common claim for the existence of anti-Black racism is that Blacks are over represented in crime data. The representation reflects participation in crimes and is not indicative of a designed “ system bias” or “ system failure “.The presented stats indicate that involvement with the criminal justice system mirrors criminal activity. The people that do the most serious crimes and present the greatest risk to the safety of others will be the predominant focus of the Police regardless of colourace or any other factor. Neither the Police, nor any system, is responsible for someone illegally possessing a weapon or discharging a weapon in a dangerous fashion.
CRIME CRISIS
2020 will see over 400 shootings in GTA. * ( 26 ) As of December 7, 2020, there have been 67 murders. * ( 27 ) This crime epidemic is having a terrible impact on the city of Toronto. * ( 28 ) The majority of the victims have been identified as Black but no group is immune from the indiscriminate vioence. The crisis is highlighted by the tragic shooting death of a 12 year old boy . * ( 29 )
No Reasonable Link to Systemic Racism
No reasonable person would claim that “systemic racism” would be responsible for a person acquiring a gun illegally, conspiring to use a gun, participating in a shooting. The factors that make a person a killer or one who would fire a weapon at another person are vast, complex, and not truly understood. It cannot be suggested that merely by living in Ontario, the exposure to the systems/institutions would be contributing factors to someone shooting someone.
These institutions/systems support everyone, yet statistically only one group has a disproportionate proclivity for violent, crime. Groups, such as the Chinese, have a larger population than Blacks yet are involved in almost zero violent crimes. One would presume that the racist system would impact the Chinese as well yet there is no evidence of any systemic bias causing the Chinese to engage in violent, criminal behaviour. In fact, this systemic racism only causes the Black community, and no other, to commit deadly, violent crimes in Ontario.
Violent Crimes
Ontario has the race-based statistics to demonstrate which groups are responsible for the most serious criminal offences. These figures are not released to the public. However, informal and unofficial research such as researching the names of suspects, as they are released to the public, in order to compile unofficial race-based, age, gender data numbers find statistics that mirror the United States. The evidence demonstrates that, in Ontario, Whites are killed by Blacks and not the reverse.
No Reliable Race-Based Data in 2020
In 2015, a journalist found that for the 18 identities that they could confirm, 14 of the suspects for murder were Black males. 14/18 is about 80%. * ( 30 ) ( 31 ) An independent review of the 2020 shootings in Toronto finds the number higher. In calculating the occasions when a photo or race description is provided along with additional research, an informal and unscientific data group can be created. Additionally, when the names are presented, online research- when able to find a photo- conservatively finds that in at least 80% of the time, the photo is of a young, Black male.
The worst shooting of 2020 allegedly involved two young Black men: Rashawn Chambers, 24, of Toronto and 24 year old Jahwayne Smart.
* ( 32 ) This caused the senseless death of a 12 year old boy.
The shooting at the Scarborough Town Center in July allegedly involved a Black male (26) and a Black female (21). Shaquille Small is charged, assumed innocent, with murder for killing a Black male in the STC mall parking lot at 2 p.m. * ( 33 ) The mall shooting reminded the province of the Toronto Eaton Center murders by Christopher Husbands. In 2012, Husbands, then 23, opened fire in the city’s busiest mall and killed two men and injured six including a fleeing pregnant woman: a13 year old boy suffered a gun shot to the head. * ( 34 ) Husbands was on bail at the time for a sexual assault charge.
2020 has also seen an 18 year old, Black male, Christopher Mitchell, charged with the murder of a 54 year old White male. Presumed innocence and not yet convicted, this case might result in hate crimes being added to the other charges facing Mitchell. There appears to be no other reasoning for the murder. * ( 35)
Michael Roberts (20) is described by Police as Black (no photo available) and has been charged with the murder of a young White man in what might also potentially include subsequent hate crimes. Jakub Sudomericky was murdered in another example of random and unnecessary violence. The unarmed, 21 year old victim was shot in the back in a LCBO parking lot after what was allegedly a dispute inside the liquor store over social distancing. * ( 36 )
Caveat
The projection of 80% is also unreliable because this data is from suspects and not convictions which leaves this data with no scientific weight. However, as the government, politicians and media refuse to release the information, this informal investigation approach is the best available data collection method.
Non-Violent Crimes
The OHRC was granted access to race-based crime stats but elected to use eight non-violent offences. Their data found that Black males are significantly more involved in criminal activity than any other demographic. The unreleased data for gun-related and serious criminal offences is far higher.
OHRC: “Additional analysis reveals that although Black males represent only 4% of Toronto’s population, they are involved in 27% of charges that result in a conviction (see Table E14). In other words, Black males are 6.8 times more likely to appear in charges that result in convictions than their representation in the general population would predict.” * ( 37 )
Disproportionate Participation/Responsibility for Violence
The population in Ontario as of January 1, 2020 was 14, 711,000- about 15 million people. In the 2016 Census, the Black population totalled 1,198,540, encompassing 3.5% of the country's population.The 2016 estimated Black population of Ontario was 627,000. Toronto had the largest Black population in the country, with 442,015 people or 36.9% of Canada's Black population.
In 2006, Blacks made up 8.4 % of Toronto’s population. In using 8% as the population and assuming 4% are males and 4 percent are females and accounting for those under the age of 16 and over the age of 40, one could conservatively estimate that less than 2% of Toronto’s population is a Black, male between the ages of 16 and 40. This under 2% of the population in Toronto is reportedly, unverified, responsible for at least 80% of the violent gun crimes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This data extrapolation requires independent and official substantiating.
If this holds true and with equal access to , social services, employment, health care and education, this demographic is uniquely responsible for the shooting deaths without any link to systemic racism. This is a causal effect from another source. This same core issue would also account for other data used to support the theory of systemic racism as responsible for over representation in other data groups.
Black Lives Matter
Every reasonable person in Ontario recognizes the value of Black lives. The province is dedicated to supporting the community to prevent crime and protect people. The majority of victims of serious, violent, gun crimes are Black. The system taking appropriate action to protect the residents/citizens is serving its function and a failure to take action against perpetrators of serious crimes based on the race/colour of the criminals and leaving Black people more vulnerable as potential victims would be an example of systemic racism. A system that seeks to arrest/jail/police those that kill Black people is not engaging in racist behaviour rather the opposite. It would be racist for the Police to not protect the Black community.

Exploring Systemic/Institutional Racism in Ontario
Institutions: Education, Employment, Housing, and Policing
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario in 2020
Synopsis
Presently, in 2020, there are politicians, government agencies and social justice movements criticizing the Ontarian system for being racist and for promoting inequality and serving the interests on one group, based on race, over all others. The claim is that Ontario’s systems/institutions prefers/protects Whites in every aspect of life. This writing will address the systems/institutions ( education, employment, housing, and policing ) that the critics cite responsible for serving the interests of White people over other races and are designed to keep White people in power and control. This writing will not address Indigenous peoples as that dynamic is uniquely nuanced and different from the experiences of other Ontarians.

Institutional Racism: Definitions

Camara Phyllis Jones
Camara Phyllis Jones defines institutionalized racism as the structures, policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society by race. Institutionalized racism is normative, sometimes legalized) and often manifests as inherited disadvantage. It is structural, having been absorbed into our institutions of custom, practice, and law, so there need not be an identifiable offender. Indeed, institutionalized racism is often evident as inaction in the face of need, manifesting itself both in material conditions and in access to power. With regard to the former, examples include differential access to quality education, sound housing, gainful employment, appropriate medical facilities, and a clean environment.
Solid Ground
Solid Ground, an organization that works to combat poverty, describes institutionalized racism as the systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in society to the benefit of people who are white and the exclusion of people of color. Institutional racism dates back to slavery, segregation, internment camps, and Indian reservations. Such form of racism can be present in institutions mainly designed to benefit and cater to the lives of whites, such as bank lending policies and different housing contracts, which both deny people of color from living in certain neighborhoods or areas. Many people of color are also racially profiled by law enforcement, and many groups are misrepresented in news and other media. There are also restrictions to certain types of employment, as well as advancements in the workplace, which are strictly based on one's race. * ( 1 )
Ontario: Differential access to quality education
In examining if the educational system in Ontario is inherently biased/racist/discriminatory on a systemic level, the funding requires examination.
How funding is structured
In Ontario, elementary and secondary school is free and available to all people. The Ministry of Education provides the majority of operating funding to Ontario’s 72 district school boards through the annual GSN, also known as “the funding formula.” The GSN is a collection of grants described in detail in an annual regulation under the Education Act.
There are two major components of the GSN:
1) The Foundation Grants cover the basic costs of an educational experience that is common to all students, which is allocated based on student enrolment and the number of schools. The per student allocation is equal across all races. In this grant, all races/colours are equal.
2) The Special Purpose Grants address the unique needs of students, schools and school boards related to location, student and school needs, and a board’s demographic profile. The ministry recognizes that conditions vary widely across Ontario and the funding formula cannot take every situation into account. * ( 2 )
There is no evidence to support any practise of students receiving more money for being White or for predominantly White schools receiving more money based on race. In fact, there is evidence that the opposite is true and non-Whites are categorized as “marginalized” and receive increased funding. * ( 3 )
In July of 2020, the provincial government committed to providing $3.5 million to support the Black and Indigenous grad coach programs, which provide wrap-around supports for students who are at risk of not graduating. * ( 4 ) White students are not eligible for this program and there are no programs to support White people exclusively.
Teaching
All public schools require teachers to be accredited by the Ontario College of Teachers. There are no rules, laws, policies to place “better teachers” in schools based on the race of students anywhere in Ontario.
Toronto District School Board (TDSB)
The largest school board in Ontario is the TDSB. They prioritize Black and Indigenous students. They have a special anti-Black racism mandate. * ( 5 )
Ontario: Colleges and Universities
In addition to Charter protection and the Ontario Human Rights Code, all colleges and universities in Ontario have inclusion and diversity/anti-racism policies/departments to address allegations of unfair practice/programs/policies.

OSAP: Ontario Student Assistance Program

In Ontario, student loans are available to those financially eligible. Being White does not increase eligibility. * ( 6 )
Preferential Eligibility
There are special programs in place to assist non-White students enter prestigious academic programs based on being racialized/ non-White. These programs make it an advantage to be non-White and a disadvantage in being White with respect to admission.
Queens Medical School
As per their website:
Queen’s University is working to reduce systemic barriers to medical education by allocating 10 of its 100 seats in each class of its MD program to Black and Indigenous students, starting with the 2020-2021 undergraduate application cycle. These 10 seats will be made available through the Queen’s University Accelerated Route to Medical School (QuARMS) pathway, which was launched in 2012. * ( 7 )
University of Toronto: Black Student Application Program
As per their website:
The Black Student Application Program (BSAP) is an optional application stream for Black applicants who self-identify as Black African, Black Caribbean, Black North American, multi-racial students who have and identify with their Black ancestry, etc.
The aim of this application program is to increase and support Black medical student representation at the University of Toronto. Through BSAP, we hope to break down some of the barriers that might impede Black students from applying, and nurture an inclusive environment that is welcoming to all. * ( 8 )
Ontario: Housing and Gainful Employment
In Ontario, the Human Rights Code protects the area of housing/employment and protects people on the grounds of race/coloucountry of origin/ethnic origin/ancestry. In Ontario, since the 1950’s there has been legislation in place to ensure equitable treatment in housing and employment.
In 1962, The Ontario Human Rights Code, the first law of its kind in Canada, was proclaimed on the 747th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta. This law replaced Ontario’s previous anti-discrimination legislation: the Fair Employment Practices Act 1951, Female Employee’s Fair Remuneration Act 1951, Fair Accommodation Practices Act 1954, and the Ontario Anti-Discrimination Commission Act 1954. The Code prohibits actions that discriminate against people on a protected ground in a protected social area. The Ontario Human Rights Commission was also established to administer and enforce this legislation.
The 1962 version of the OHRC prohibited discrimination in signs, services, facilities, public accommodation, employee and trade union membership on the grounds of “race, creed, colour, nationality, ancestry, and place of origin. The Code was updated in 1990 and makes discrimination based on race/colour illegal in housing and employment.
Ontario Housing and Ontario Works
Free housing is available for those qualify financially regardless of race/colour. There is also welfare, Ontario Works, as well which provides a monthly allowance to anyone that qualifies financially, regardless of race.
Ontario Government: Anti Racism Unit
The Ontario government has an anti-racism unit that seeks to actively fight against discrimination in Ontario。Their data reveals the following 4 points about discrimination in employment:

1. Racialized females have a higher “standard employment

relationships” ( SER) than White females. (51 to 48%).
Report: “Figure 1 shows the prevalence of SER for men and
women from white and racialized groups. We limit the analysis to
white and non-white or racialized groups. Only the results for men
from racialized groups are statistically significant, with white men
more likely to report being in SER than men from racialized
groups. While there is a historical legacy of SER as the norm for
white men, that advantage appears to have diminished. “ * ( 9 )
2.” Education (sic: not race/colour) is the best indicator for having job security. “ * ( 10 )

1. The employment rate- from 2005 statistics- for racialized people

is 61.9% and for non-racialized people is 63%. This is a
marginal difference that is not indicative of any “systemic
issues”. * ( 11 )
4.There are many racialized groups with a higher employment
rate than Whites. This counters the “White privilege” narrative:
Black 63.8 to 63%
Filipino 71.6 to 63%
Latin American 66.3 to 63%
Visible Minority 65.4 to 63%
Multiple Visible Minority 65.9 to 63%
*(similar) South East Asian 62.2 to 63%
Source : “Ontario‟s Growing Gap. The Role of Race”-2005 data. * ( 12 )
Ontario: Appropriate Medical Facilities
In Ontario, regardless of race/colour, residents all receive the same free access to healthcare. The care is equal across all races/colours.

Services covered by OHIP

OHIP covers part or all of the following services:
​

• visits to doctors
• hospital visits and stays
• medical or surgical abortions
• eligible dental surgery in hospital
• eligible optometry (eye-health services)
• podiatry (foot-health services)
• ambulance services
• travel for health services if you live in northern Ontario * ( 13 )

ODSP
For those that qualify financially, all people have equal access to the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) to help those with medical issues/disabilities/mental health equally applied to all races. * ( 14 ) There are also federal programs such as Old Age Security (OAS) to support the elderly that can provide up to $1,800/month for those eligible regardless of race/colour. * ( 15 )
Systemic Racism in Policing
OHRC report says “ Other “ racialized group have advantage over Whites
OHRC Report “A Disparate Impact “
“The results suggest that 45.5% of all charges involved White suspects, 32.4% involved Black suspects and 22.2% involved suspects from other racial minority groups (Table B1).”
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released a report looking to find racial bias in Policing in Toronto by the Toronto Police Services (TPS). The report divided the city’s population into three groups: Black, White, “Other”.
The report states: Whites make 48% of the population and represent 45.5% of all criminal charges which is a neutral representation. The “other racial minority” group represents 42.8% of the population and 22.2% of total charges which is a favourable representation. This shows that “other racialized people” are the lowest group to be charged criminally. * ( 16 ) This proves that statistically the system of Policing in Toronto favours non-Whites/”Other Races” over Whites.
White Males Also Overrepresented
The OHRC report also states on page 78: “White males are also over-represented in the convictions data (odds ratio = 1.9). All other gender-race categories are under-represented.” * ( 17 )This is also reflective of a system void of any systemic preference designed to favour White males.
A system that statistically treats White people neutrally and “Other Racialized Groups” better than Whites does not meet the criteria of “systemic racism”. A racist system/institution would treat Whites favourably and not neutrally and would not have “Other” treated better. It is mutually exclusive for a system to be designed to favouprotect White males to charge them criminally more than “other race” and with a greater proportionality than their representation in the population. This indicates behavior, not race, is the factor responsible for representation in criminal statistics.
OIPRD
The Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD) receives, manages and oversees all complaints about police in Ontario. As an independent civilian oversight agency, the OIPRD ensures all public complaints against the police are dealt with in a manner that is transparent, effective and fair. This mechanism is in place as part of the system to ensure laws are enforced and people, of all races/colours, are treated fairly. * ( 18 )
Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO)
There may be individuals of all races/colours who, despite the laws, engage in discriminatory practices. These people are held accountable by another mechanism in the system. The Human Rights Code is enforced by the HRTO and protects people on Code grounds in employment, housing and in the receipt of services. There are no fees to file a complaint and Complainants cannot be held accountable for the legal fees of the defendants.
HRLSC
The system also provides free legal services to support Complainants at the HRTO. The state provides free legal guidance and representation at mediations and hearings to Complainants when seeking to have their human rights protected. The Human Rights Legal Support Center (HRLSC) is the expert in the Code and is a mechanism to ensure people have fair access to justice. The HRLSC has guidelines to prioritize Black and Indigenous clients. They rarely, if ever, accept White clients making an application based on experiencing discrimination based on their race.
Anti-Black Racism in Ontario, Canada: 2020
Argument One: Slavery
The argument for the existence of anti-Black racism in Ontario in 2020 starts with the theory that Black people are at a disadvantage compared to everyone else because of slavery. The sports analogy of a racing competition with different starting positions based on one’s race/colour is frequently applied. The crux of the argument is that, due to slavery in Ontario, Black people are still behind everyone else and not have an equal starting point.
Black Slavery and Pre-Confederation Canada:
Slavery ended in the British Empire in 1834 and Canada, via Confederation, became an independent nation in 1867. There was never legal slavery in Canada. One estimate claims half of the white settlers of North America were indentured servants a.k.a. “White slaves”. * ( 19 ) There were far more “White slaves” than any other race.
History of New France
1,400 Slaves between 1600’s and 1831
Slavery, in what is now Canada, predates the arrival of Europeans, with some Indigenous peoples enslaving prisoners taken in war. * ( 20 ) Some French colonists acquired enslaved Black people through private sales, and some received Indigenous and African slaves as gifts from Indigenous allies. Out of approximately 4,200 slaves in New France at the peak of slavery, about 2,700 were Indigenous people who were enslaved until 1783, and at least 1,443 were Black people who were enslaved between the late 1600s and 1831. The rest of the slaves were from other territories and other countries. * ( 21 )
Slavery and Pre-Confederation Upper Canada (Ontario)
History of British North America
Around 3,000 enslaved men, women and children of African descent were brought into British North America. By the 1790s, the number of enslaved Black people in the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island) ranged from 1,200 to 2,000. There were about 300 in Lower Canada (Québec), and between 500 and 700 in Upper Canada (Ontario). * ( 22 ) This pre-dates Confederation and the creation of Ontario hence slavery never existed in Ontario.
Black Slavery and Ontario Today
700 Black Slaves
In 1793 Upper Canada (now Ontario) passed the Anti‐slavery Act. The law freed enslaved people aged 25 and over and made it illegal to bring enslaved people into Upper Canada. * ( 23 ) Save for the 700 people that were enslaved and their direct ancestors, the remaining Black people emigrated to Ontario by their own choice and free will.
Systemic Racism in Policing
Argument Two: Policing Killing of Blacks
After the claim that slavery is responsible for placing Black people in Ontario in 2020 at a distinct disadvantage, the next point is that Police in Ontario are racist and a threat to the safety of Black people. The critics claim that Black people in Ontario are endangered and killed for sport with impunity by the Police in Ontario.
Police Shootings
The CBC’s Database shows that since 2011, ZERO, unarmed Black people have been shot and killed by Toronto Police Services and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have shot and killed ZERO, unarmed Black people since the year 2000- the first year of the CBC study. * ( 24 ) The data demonstrates, across all races, that if one is unarmed, sober, and cooperative with Police in Toronto, and in Ontario, and across Canada, it is a statistical improbability of being harmed/killed by the Police.
The Police, or any system, are never responsible for someone choosing to arm themselves, threaten the safety of others, or intoxicate themselves. The other leading contributing factor to “use of force” Police interactions is presenting with mental health issues.
The OHRC’s “Use of Force” report covers 2013 to 2017, in which the Toronto Police Services killed zero, unarmed Black people. There were nine shootings and seven deaths over this period involving Black people. Eight of the nine people shot were armed and the lone, unarmed person was not shot fatally. This is as per the data from Tables 19 and 26. * ( 25 )
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) also released reports that found “other racialized groups” , not Whites, are the group less arrested, less shot by Police, less involved in crime, less involved in “use of force” by Police .
Argument Three: Overrepresentation in Incarceration Rates
Another common claim for the existence of anti-Black racism is that Blacks are over represented in crime data. The representation reflects participation in crimes and is not indicative of a designed “ system bias” or “ system failure “.The presented stats indicate that involvement with the criminal justice system mirrors criminal activity. The people that do the most serious crimes and present the greatest risk to the safety of others will be the predominant focus of the Police regardless of colourace or any other factor. Neither the Police, nor any system, is responsible for someone illegally possessing a weapon or discharging a weapon in a dangerous fashion.
CRIME CRISIS
2020 will see over 400 shootings in GTA. * ( 26 ) As of December 7, 2020, there have been 67 murders. * ( 27 ) This crime epidemic is having a terrible impact on the city of Toronto. * ( 28 ) The majority of the victims have been identified as Black but no group is immune from the indiscriminate vioence. The crisis is highlighted by the tragic shooting death of a 12 year old boy . * ( 29 )
No Reasonable Link to Systemic Racism
No reasonable person would claim that “systemic racism” would be responsible for a person acquiring a gun illegally, conspiring to use a gun, participating in a shooting. The factors that make a person a killer or one who would fire a weapon at another person are vast, complex, and not truly understood. It cannot be suggested that merely by living in Ontario, the exposure to the systems/institutions would be contributing factors to someone shooting someone.
These institutions/systems support everyone, yet statistically only one group has a disproportionate proclivity for violent, crime. Groups, such as the Chinese, have a larger population than Blacks yet are involved in almost zero violent crimes. One would presume that the racist system would impact the Chinese as well yet there is no evidence of any systemic bias causing the Chinese to engage in violent, criminal behaviour. In fact, this systemic racism only causes the Black community, and no other, to commit deadly, violent crimes in Ontario.
Violent Crimes
Ontario has the race-based statistics to demonstrate which groups are responsible for the most serious criminal offences. These figures are not released to the public. However, informal and unofficial research such as researching the names of suspects, as they are released to the public, in order to compile unofficial race-based, age, gender data numbers find statistics that mirror the United States. The evidence demonstrates that, in Ontario, Whites are killed by Blacks and not the reverse.
No Reliable Race-Based Data in 2020
In 2015, a journalist found that for the 18 identities that they could confirm, 14 of the suspects for murder were Black males. 14/18 is about 80%. * ( 30 ) ( 31 ) An independent review of the 2020 shootings in Toronto finds the number higher. In calculating the occasions when a photo or race description is provided along with additional research, an informal and unscientific data group can be created. Additionally, when the names are presented, online research- when able to find a photo- conservatively finds that in at least 80% of the time, the photo is of a young, Black male.
The worst shooting of 2020 allegedly involved two young Black men: Rashawn Chambers, 24, of Toronto and 24 year old Jahwayne Smart.
* ( 32 ) This caused the senseless death of a 12 year old boy.
The shooting at the Scarborough Town Center in July allegedly involved a Black male (26) and a Black female (21). Shaquille Small is charged, assumed innocent, with murder for killing a Black male in the STC mall parking lot at 2 p.m. * ( 33 ) The mall shooting reminded the province of the Toronto Eaton Center murders by Christopher Husbands. In 2012, Husbands, then 23, opened fire in the city’s busiest mall and killed two men and injured six including a fleeing pregnant woman: a13 year old boy suffered a gun shot to the head. * ( 34 ) Husbands was on bail at the time for a sexual assault charge.
2020 has also seen an 18 year old, Black male, Christopher Mitchell, charged with the murder of a 54 year old White male. Presumed innocence and not yet convicted, this case might result in hate crimes being added to the other charges facing Mitchell. There appears to be no other reasoning for the murder. * ( 35)
Michael Roberts (20) is described by Police as Black (no photo available) and has been charged with the murder of a young White man in what might also potentially include subsequent hate crimes. Jakub Sudomericky was murdered in another example of random and unnecessary violence. The unarmed, 21 year old victim was shot in the back in a LCBO parking lot after what was allegedly a dispute inside the liquor store over social distancing. * ( 36 )
Caveat
The projection of 80% is also unreliable because this data is from suspects and not convictions which leaves this data with no scientific weight. However, as the government, politicians and media refuse to release the information, this informal investigation approach is the best available data collection method.
Non-Violent Crimes
The OHRC was granted access to race-based crime stats but elected to use eight non-violent offences. Their data found that Black males are significantly more involved in criminal activity than any other demographic. The unreleased data for gun-related and serious criminal offences is far higher.
OHRC: “Additional analysis reveals that although Black males represent only 4% of Toronto’s population, they are involved in 27% of charges that result in a conviction (see Table E14). In other words, Black males are 6.8 times more likely to appear in charges that result in convictions than their representation in the general population would predict.” * ( 37 )
Disproportionate Participation/Responsibility for Violence
The population in Ontario as of January 1, 2020 was 14, 711,000- about 15 million people. In the 2016 Census, the Black population totalled 1,198,540, encompassing 3.5% of the country's population.The 2016 estimated Black population of Ontario was 627,000. Toronto had the largest Black population in the country, with 442,015 people or 36.9% of Canada's Black population.
In 2006, Blacks made up 8.4 % of Toronto’s population. In using 8% as the population and assuming 4% are males and 4 percent are females and accounting for those under the age of 16 and over the age of 40, one could conservatively estimate that less than 2% of Toronto’s population is a Black, male between the ages of 16 and 40. This under 2% of the population in Toronto is reportedly, unverified, responsible for at least 80% of the violent gun crimes in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This data extrapolation requires independent and official substantiating.
If this holds true and with equal access to , social services, employment, health care and education, this demographic is uniquely responsible for the shooting deaths without any link to systemic racism. This is a causal effect from another source. This same core issue would also account for other data used to support the theory of systemic racism as responsible for over representation in other data groups.
Black Lives Matter
Every reasonable person in Ontario recognizes the value of Black lives. The province is dedicated to supporting the community to prevent crime and protect people. The majority of victims of serious, violent, gun crimes are Black. The system taking appropriate action to protect the residents/citizens is serving its function and a failure to take action against perpetrators of serious crimes based on the race/colour of the criminals and leaving Black people more vulnerable as potential victims would be an example of systemic racism. A system that seeks to arrest/jail/police those that kill Black people is not engaging in racist behaviour rather the opposite. It would be racist for the Police to not protect the Black community.