Joel Westheimer

Where this writer stands

No opinion piece by this writer has been scored on a policy topic yet.

Only opinion columns and editorials are scored. Each piece is read twice by a language model, which records the author's own stance on a policy topic only where the piece argues one, with a quote that must appear in the piece. An author's position on a topic is the average of their pieces, weighted by the model's confidence. News reporting is listed but never scored.

Recent work

• Banning cellphones at school is the right thing to do — but it shouldn’t be the only thing Ontario doesOpinion · Toronto Star · May 4, 2026
• Opinion: When schools ban politics, what are students really learning?Opinion · The Globe and Mail · Apr 12, 2026
• Do you care about democracy? Then you should care about threats to elected school boards in CanadaOpinion · Toronto Star · Aug 28, 2025
• Opinion: Canadian democracy needs universities — now more than everOpinion · Edmonton Journal · May 15, 2025
• Opinion: Bowing to authoritarianism in the gilded age of tech plutocracyOpinion · The Globe and Mail · Jan 13, 2025
• Westheimer: Pending uOttawa strike is about much more than moneyOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Nov 20, 2024
• Westheimer: Keeping students from political events undercuts their civic educationOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Oct 23, 2024
• Westheimer and Spooner: Stop the hand-wringing on education test scores. Canada is doing just fineOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Dec 11, 2023
• Opinion: Stop the hand-wringing on education test scores. Canada is doing just fineOpinion · Montreal Gazette · Dec 10, 2023
• Westheimer and Spooner: Stop the hand-wringing on education test scores. Canada is doing just fineOpinion · Montreal Gazette · Dec 10, 2023
• Bolton and Westheimer: Democracy is backsliding in Israel and we must call it outOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 31, 2023
• Opinion: YEAR ONE – Three essential lessons COVID-19 has taught us about educationOpinion · Montreal Gazette · Mar 8, 2021
• Westheimer: YEAR ONE – Three essential lessons COVID-19 has taught us about educationOpinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 8, 2021
• Opinion | The virus of disinformation threatens democracy and education is the cureOpinion · Toronto Star · Jan 24, 2021
• Westheimer: Forget trying to be your kid's substitute school teacher during COVID-19Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 30, 2020
• Westheimer: Forget trying to be your kid's substitute school teacher during COVID-19Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 30, 2020
• Westheimer: Forget trying to be your kid's substitute school teacher during COVID-19Opinion · Ottawa Citizen · Mar 30, 2020