Education Minister says sex-ed will address some modern issues

Ontario’s Education Minister says September’s sex-ed curriculum will prepare them for the realities of modern life.

“We are going to be preparing our students and supporting them for the realities of 2018 and we’re going to be embracing what was taught in 2014,” said Lisa Thompson.

“But we are going to be taking a look at specifically a campaign promise that we made to review and consult on the sex ed component of the overall curriculum.”

In a media scrum at Queen’s Park, Thompson told reporters that the portion of the curriculum being replaced deals with “developing sexual relations.”

When asked for specifics, she said a backgrounder with information would be provided later.

The province’s new Progressive Conservative government announced last week that teachers would use the 1998 version of the sex-ed curriculum this fall.

This as consultations were to be carried out for a new document.

Many parents, teachers and groups were critical of the move, arguing that the old curriculum did not include many realities of today, including same-sex marriage, consent and online bullying.