POWR Take in 20

About POWR Take in 20

Educating Minds: Parents of Waterloo Region (EMPOWR) is a grassroots collection of parents and citizens committed to education and liberty. This podcast covers issues in the Waterloo Region that most legacy media outlets ignore. How and why has education changed over time? What local policies that impact liberty are being implemented without widespread discussion and consent. What can we do about it? And who are the fascinating people bringing ideas and action to the table? Find all of this and more in just 20 minutes with the POWR Take in 20! empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Parents of Waterloo Region

Category

kids & family · news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

27 Oct 2025

Latest episode

23 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Jun 2026

   The Costs of "Decolonizing" A School

   We interviewed Ishan Acharya, a remarkable Grade 10 student at what used to be called Sir John A. Macdonald Secondary School (affectionately known as “S-JAM”). In 2022, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) renamed the school to align with its “commitment to Truth and Reconciliation and ensuring inclusive learning environments where all students feel safe, welcomed and respected. (https://www.cp24.com/news/canada/2026/05/14/student-files-foi-to-find-out-why-it-cost-175k-to-rename-waterloo-high-school/)” Erasing our nation’s founder in favour of the culturally neutral moniker “Laurel Heights” struck Ishan as an appalling use of taxpayer funds when some students can’t even afford to eat lunch. While the Board didn’t disclose the costs of the name change at the time, Ishan resourcefully filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request that revealed a cost of $195,105.86. We at least hope the WRDSB can prove the name change made students feel “safe, welcomed, and respected”, because those feelings are unlikely to be measurable among taxpayers. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   24 Feb 2026

   Joanna Williams: Education's Two Solitudes

   Joanna Williams (https://cieo.substack.com/about) is a British author and public intellectual. She began her career teaching high school English prior to an academic career that included directorship of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education. We reached out to speak with Joanna about her recent essay, “How progressive education paves the way for the politicisation of schooling (https://cieo.substack.com/p/how-progressive-education-paves-the)”, which reflects work on her upcoming book We Don’t Need No Indoctrination. Her essay succinctly contrasts forward-looking progressive education with classical approaches to the intergenerational transmission of Western civilization. 1:48 Joanna’s background and rising concerns about educational politicization 5:00 The origins of progressive ‘child-centred’ education 8:35 What is classical education? 10:56 How do we decide what’s important to teach? 16:20 Is classical education more effective than progressive? 19:55 The Western canon helps us understand modern literature. 25:45 Top-down propagation of UNESCO priorities and ‘global citizenship’ 35:32 Gaslighting about history and ‘child-centered’ education 43:54 Future-focused progressivism leads to screentime and busywork 52:28 Students lose when we try to prepare them for an unknowable future This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   5 Feb 2026

   Debbie Kasman – Ontario Education Reform

   An education analyst with four decades of experience in public education, Debbie Kasman (https://debbielkasman.com/) has a vision for reforming Ontario’s public education system. In her view, the system is in crisis and needs a firm hand to restore order. She believes that replacing Boards of Trustees with a single boss—the Minister of Education—to whom Directors of Education are directly accountable, will calm the system. Debbie’s vision also includes changes to Faculties of Education and beefed up parent councils. We invited her to the podcast to try to assuage our skepticism. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

4. 

   27 Jan 2026

   Alexandra Lysova: Overcoming Internal Exile

   Alexandra (Sasha) Lysova is a mother of children in public school and a professor of criminology at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. She immigrated to Canada to escape authoritarianism in Russia, and is alarmed by similar patterns emerging in Canada. Sasha has long been outspoken at her university about equity, diversity, and inclusion ideology. She has more recently been noticing similar problems at public schools attended by her children, exemplified by the careless adoption of land acknowledgements that now undermine BC property rights. This conversation covers Canada’s toxic politeness, quietly retreating into ‘internal exile’ to survive Russian and Canadian versions of authoritarianism, the importance of raising children who question things, the sacred nature of the new ideology, and different approaches to challenging land acknowledgements. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

5. 

   13 Jan 2026

   PIC Policy Laundering

   Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) quietly passed an anti-racism policy this fall. The Board claimed parent consultation via the Parent Involvement Committee (PIC) but didn’t mention that at least three of six parents opposed the policy. We describe this stealth policymaking, which includes not publicly disclosing draft policies, isolating parents in small groups, and not responding to emails. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

6. 

   10 Dec 2025

   "Ideologically Problematic"

   Last week, we each attended a ‘town hall’ about the WRDSB strategic plan. Here we compare notes and conclude that many parents are hungry for a town hall, which these events did not even remotely resemble. Instead, parents were directed to unattended stations where they could silently read a placard and place written comments in a suggestion box. Usefully, staff and trustees were on hand and available for discussion. You can provide feedback (https://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2025/12/08/complete-the-wrdsb-strategic-plan-community-consultation-survey-today/) to WRDSB by December 12th. 6:25 Previous discussion with Stephen Reich (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n90adYgPiE0&list=PPSV) about the strat plan 7.27 10,000 people consulted; half were students 17:57 Money for consultants not glue sticks 20:35 The strat plan reflects culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy (CRRP) 36:30 Progressives are keen to censor “ideologically problematic” parents 38:35 Enlightening conversations we had; parents want a real town hall 47:43 While widely billed as a ‘town hall,’ the WRDSB itself welcomed participants to something “a bit different from a traditional town hall—think of it more like an open house.” 49:33 CRRP is effective—as a tool to harvest tax dollars Op-ed (https://empowrconnect.substack.com/p/opinion-waterloo-region-public-school) in Waterloo Record by Trustees Watson, Ramsay, and Cody about declining enrolments coinciding with increasing ideologies at WRDSB. Op-ed (https://empowrconnect.substack.com/p/opinion-waterloo-region-public-school) by Geoff in Waterloo Record rebutting WRDSB claims that they don’t practice identity politics a.k.a. CRRP. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

7. 

   3 Dec 2025

   PIC Your Poison

   As parent members of Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) Parent Involvement Council (PIC), we discuss the November 25 PIC meeting. Specifically, we (i) adopted a new code of conduct that self-imposes even more restrictions than the Board already places on parent volunteers, and (ii) modified by-laws that further restrict access of PIC members to Board staff and establish the PIC Chair as gatekeeper for such interactions. 2:05 Code of conduct expansion 9:09 Background to by-law revisions 15:00 Geoff asked Board to disclose secret limitations on PIC; asking tough questions not appreciated. 17:15 Director of Education made new rule to avoid direct questions from PIC members; PIC Chair changed bylaws to retroactively legalize rule. 25:38 Shadowy maneuverings to stealthily revise bylaws; opaque agenda setting. 27:35 PIC’s authoritarian shift away from accountability and towards ‘collaboration’. 34:45 The Board is not concerned about Antifa infiltration of PIC 35:55 Do the work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

8. 

   3 Dec 2025

   Inverting the Weeds, Expanding the Rabbit Hole

   In this episode, Cristina and Geoff springboard off the Mia Hughes interview to get deep into the weeds about linguistic inversions versus expansions. Is “trans woman” the same as “gay marriage” or not? Is one an inversion and the other an expansion, or are they both inversions or both expansions? We go down a few rabbit holes about God’s plan for marriage, family, homosexuality, and having deep conversations with protestors. If anyone is looking for good cancellation material, start here! 3:27 Gender self-ID as a double-edged sword for trans people. 13:20 Linguistic inversion vs. expansion re “trans” + “woman” 22:28 Inversion vs. expansion re “gay” + “marriage” 40:25 God’s plan for living is not about shaming those on the margins 1:01:32 Learning from conversations with protestors This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

9. 

   18 Nov 2025

   Mia Hughes, Part II: Gender Identity in Schools

   In part II, we continue our discussion with journalist Mia Hughes about the impacts of gender identity ideology in schools. This includes the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) procedure (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOEiDTjVdqk) AP1235 (https://www.wrdsb.ca/wp-content/uploads/AP1235-Gender-April-2025-Final.pdf) and the Safe Caring and Inclusive Schools (SCIS) survey (https://waterlooregional.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3aVL51tD66UqmGi). 1:52 The incoherent SCIS definition of gender identity: “Gender identity is a person’s sense of being a boy/man, a girl/woman, both, neither or having another identity on the gender spectrum. A person’s gender identity may be different from the sex that was identified for them when they were born (such as female, intersex, or male).” 4:33 WRDSB safeguarding failure of polluting children’s minds with gender ideology. 9:38 AP1235 for washroom access: “The individual’s self-identification is the sole measure of their gender.” 12:20 The Accepting Schools Act as a Trojan horse for gender identity. 15:07 AP1235 updated in 2025 to respond to parental beliefs “not aligned with Board expectations” and those “resistant to learning.” 18:30 What is to be done? 25:18 Mental health and the transition-or-suicide myth. 29:44 Combatting euphemisms with linguistic precision. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

10. 

    12 Nov 2025

    Mia Hughes, Part I: The Laurier Debate

    Journalist Mia Hughes joins us to recap the Laurier HxA (https://laurierhxa.substack.com/) ‘debate’ with Morgane Oger on “Gender Identity: Evidence & Impacts (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WewreIEBhe4).” Mia wrote an excellent article summarizing her side of the debate for MLI Inside Policy (https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/gender-identity-in-canadian-law-definition-origins-and-societal-impact-mia-hughes-for-inside-policy/). 2:34 General impressions. 4:36 The invention of gender identity. 8:00 What is a woman (https://x.com/esme_saysno/status/1982142375146189297)? 10:14 The stealth introduction of the concept of gender identity through the law. 14:20 The linguistic manipulations of the gender identity movement. 22:12 Women-only spaces. 28:32 Mia’s question for Morgane that went unasked. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

11. 

    27 Oct 2025

    POWR Take in 20: Episode 1

    In the first of many 20-minute takes, Cristina and Geoff introduce themselves and unpack a few brief but critical moments from the September 29th Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) meeting (https://www.youtube.com/live/XQqQf9flg2k?si=x6Fv4u5qow4Uq3HC). The Chair opened with a lengthy statement affirming the Board’s commitment to reconciliation, orange shirts, and Indigenous sovereignty, referring to everyone else as ‘settlers on Turtle Island (https://x.com/CrisBairosFern/status/1975971104595554602)’. In contrast, Trustee Watson’s concise acknowledgment of Charlie Kirk was quickly shut down (https://x.com/CrisBairosFern/status/1976695306411471200). Was it in response to the name of Jesus? There’s still much to cover—and with the next WRDSB meeting just around the corner (tonight at 7 p.m.), there will be even more to discuss. POWR Take in 20 is a regular podcast bringing you all things local school boards, liberty, and freedom. Each 20-minute episode keeps parents and residents of Waterloo Region informed about what’s happening inside our publicly funded institutions—reminding us that these systems are powered by we, the people. Through focused conversations on school board meetings, Parent Councils, PIC updates, policies, procedures, and provincial or federal legislation, ‘POWR Take in 20’ works to empower listeners to stay aware, get involved, and act on the convictions of a good conscience rather than propaganda. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit empowrconnect.substack.com (https://empowrconnect.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.