Tracy Sherlock

Vancouver

Freelance Journalist at Freelance

Freelance journalist and journalism instructor who writes about politics, education, social issues+books. Views are mine. [email protected]

Articles

Column: Teachers, parents sound alarm about services for students

6 days ago | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

New Westminster parent Tony Gilligan saw his daughter struggle from the time she was in kindergarten. “We spent all week with her trying to practice her 10 words. And we'd get to the end of the week, and she'd come home with a fail,” he said in an interview. “It was heartbreaking for us.” The parents wanted to do whatever they could to help their daughter succeed, but they found out there was a three-year wait for a psychological-educational assessment through the school system.
Column: Education roundup of teacher shortages, funding deficits, toxic drug training

1 month ago | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

This is going to be one of those columns with a bunch of smaller ideas related to education that I try to wrap up into a cohesive whole. First, I want to ask a question that has been crossing my mind for a while. B.C. has a teacher shortage, one of the B.C. Teachers’ Association calls it “critical” on its website.
A Class-Action Suit for BC Kids in Care Clears a Hurdle

1 month ago | thetyee.ca | Tracy Sherlock

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Column: Wages aren’t keeping up, especially for those earning below living wage

2 months ago | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

I was recently shocked to read that some school bus drivers in Vancouver will be getting a wage cut to levels that don’t meet the living wage. This shift is indicative of a concerning trend towards inequality that’s growing in our society and is even affecting our politicians.
Column: As the world order shifts, we need to find common ground

2 months ago | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

Up to about 1990, the world was still living in the long shadow of the Second World War. The international alliances and institutions forged in the dying days of that horrible conflict had formed the basis for the Cold War, a time that world power was divided into two – the west and the east, roughly – and international conflicts could be determined based on that split.
Vote in the election, but make sure you’re informed

Mar 29, 2025 | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

Canadians will head to the polls on April 28 to elect a new government. For the first time in my living memory, some of Canada’s election focus will be external and threats of foreign interference are explicit and everywhere. The world is changing fast. How can Canadians best inform themselves? First, it’s important to recognize that actually voting for who you want to lead the country and represent your interests in Ottawa is crucial to having a healthy democracy.
Column: Which movie will take home the Oscar?

Mar 1, 2025 | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

It’s the Oscars this weekend, and one of my guilty pleasures is watching movies. When the real world gets to be too much, a great movie is the perfect escape. I don’t know if it’s just me getting older, or if others find this as well, but movies have changed. They’re filled with violence and sex, which is not really new, but the violence seems straight out of a comic book or a video game and the sex, well the sex verges on pornographic at times.
Column: Schools must cover everything, from the mundane to the sublime

Feb 15, 2025 | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

What are schools for? I think their purpose goes beyond simply making sure kids can read, write and do arithmetic, but where does their mandate end? It’s a difficult question.
Column: Kids with special needs are being left behind

Feb 1, 2025 | richmond-news.com | Tracy Sherlock

I was going to write a funny column this week about being locked outside for several panic-filled minutes on a fourth-floor patio with no coat shoes or cellphone, but I decided on a more serious matter. In any case, I was rescued by a lovely lady and her dog, so it all turned out okay. But do beware of stepping quickly outside onto a patio, as I’ve since heard from three other people that something similar happened to them.
Indigenous communities are taking over child welfare

Jan 23, 2025 | aptnnews.ca | Tracy Sherlock

Content note: This story mentions residential schools in CanadaIndigenous Peoples are reclaiming their right to take care of their children after at least 500 years of colonization. The transition to taking back jurisdiction — the power to make legal decisions — over their children is a move full of hope, but also fraught with concerns about inadequate funding and offloading responsibility from federal and provincial governments to Indigenous nations.