. . . at Queen's Park, across Ontario and elsewhere.

* Hundreds of high school students rallied outside Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon to protest Bill 115 and support their teachers.

The teens said, like their teachers, the protest was not about wage freezes but what they saw as the anti-democratic measures of Bill 115.

“We’re the victims of this crime," said Sydney Martindale, a grade 12 student at The Student School, as she carried a sign depicting Premier Dalton McGuinty using a student as a human shield. She said it represents that teens are “caught in the crossfire.”

“We can’t vote but we can petition,” said Jeremiah Cashore, a grade 10 student at Danforth Collegiate and Technical Institute.

*Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario president Sam Hammond pledged teachers would again be on the picket lines in January should Education Minister Laurel Broten impose a contract Jan. 1, as allowed under Bill 115.

Hammond, who was attending a rally in Ottawa, said he would consult ETFO’s legal counsel for advice. As QP Briefing previously reported, if the teachers do strike after a contract is imposed, it would be illegal. That could mean the first wildcat strike in Ontario’s public sector in recent memory could ring in the new year.

* Hamilton councillors have joined their Burlington counterparts in delaying a move to remove free transit service for blind passengers. Both cities were to eliminate the free rides on the basis that they were complying with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services has said it’s up to each municipality to decide whether it wants to reduce fees or eliminate free rides, but they may not charge disabled riders higher fares than other people pay.

* Councillor Charlie Reidl has stepped down as chair of the Brockton Police Service Board after he was charged with impaired driving. Reidl, who will continue to serve on Brockton council, was arrested following a minor accident on Dec. 8. He will appear in court on Jan. 28.

* It’s all change in Oro-Medonte Township, which is faced with replacing its entire three-person planning department. Planning services manager Glen White has taken another role with the municipality, one intermediate planner has left, and another is taking a 16-month maternity leave.

* Canada Border Services Agency officers have returned to work at the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia and the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor after a two-day protest over the wearing of personal name badges. The officers say the name tags threaten their personal safety.

* Guelph Transit manager Michael Anders has apologized to passengers for “the inconvenience they’ve faced over the past year” and says changes are being made to improve service. Consultants hired by the city found that 15 per cent of buses ran late and up to 25 per cent of riders missed their connections.

* Kitchener residents won’t be voting online in their 2014 municipal election though their neighbours in Cambridge first voted online in 2010. A staff report showed internet voting would double election costs, from $400,000 to $800,000. It would also have little effect on voter turnout and could raise security concerns, said Kitchener’s director of legislated services Randy Gosse in the report.

In 2010, less than 25 per cent of Kitchener residents turned out to vote.

* Federal policies are hindering Ontario’s economic growth, a new report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce charges. The report was released Thursday, just days before all of Canada’s finance ministers are to meet in Ottawa.

Ontario contributes $12.3 billion more to the federation than they get back, according to the report. It also points out that many federal policies don’t align with the province.

“The federal government has done much to help Ontario during the downturn, including supporting the HST and helping bailout the auto sector” said Allan O’Dette, president and CEO of the chamber. “But Ontario’s economy is still recovering, and we need the federal government to continue to seek ways to drive economic growth in the province.”

Tweet of the Day

@pmharper

A message to @ThomasMulcair after today’s QP: Merry Christmas and serenity now!

- Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a little Christmas cheer – and a Seinfeld barb – to Official Opposition leader Thomas Mulcair on Wednesday evening.

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