4 May 2015
The Peel Debates
Nil Magnum Nisi Bonum
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Debaters, Coaches and Judges,
The North Park Secondary School Debate Club is pleased to invite you to The Peel
Debates (4rd annual) on Saturday, May 30th, 2015 at North Park Secondary School. This
tournament is open to all students regardless of their past experience.
Format: Each team is guaranteed four rounds of debate in the Canadian Parliamentary
style. The first two rounds are prepared and the latter two rounds are impromptu. The
prepared resolution is as follows:
THBT the cap and trade model is an ineffective tool to combat climate change.
The purpose of this resolution is to assess the recent proposal by the government of Ontario to
introduce a cap and trade system to reduce the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. The cap and
trade model, which is currently in place in the European Union and other jurisdictions, such as the state of
California, may be defined as follows. A government agency assesses the reasonable amount of carbon a
company should be emitting into the atmosphere based on current advancements in technology. Once
assessed, the government sets a cap on the amount of carbon a company can emit, which is typically lower
than the current amounts. Then the government issues carbon credits, each of which usually represents a
tonne of carbon. If a company cannot meet the carbon emissions expectations set by the government, the
company can buy carbon credits from another company through a carbon credit exchange, which functions
much like the stock market. This, of course, is an expense for the company. However, if the company
produces less than the carbon emissions expectations set by the government, the company can sell its carbon
credit on the carbon exchange and make a profit. It is believed that these dynamics will serve as an incentive
for companies to reduce their carbon footprint. In order to prepare for the debate, you will need to inquire
into further features of the cap and trade model, such as offsetting. In this regard, let me suggest that you
begin by listening to a short video on Youtube, called The Story of Cap and Trade (2009) by Annie Leonard.
Let me also suggest you view the The Story of Cap and Trade: the Critique by Lee Doren. Your preparations
should also include some knowledge of the Carbon Tax model, which is currently in place in British Columbia,
and variations of the model in Finland, Sweden and Switzerland.
Food: A light lunch, which consists of wraps, fruit, cookies and drinks, will be provided
before the impromptu debates. Beverages will also be available throughout the
tournament. In order to keep our tournament as environmentally friendly as possible, we
encourage all participants to bring their own reusable water bottles and make use of North
Park’s numerous water fountains. Any dietary restrictions or allergies should be noted on
the registration form.
Registration: The registration fee is $40 per team ($20 per debater), which includes
lunch, trophies and paper costs. Registration information must be emailed to the
tournament directors no later than Monday, 25 May 2015. Please see the registration
form below.
Cheques must be made out to North Park Secondary School and may be sent through
regular or courier mail to:
North Park Secondary School Debate Club
c/o Mr. Luchak
10 North Park Drive
Brampton, Ontario
L3T 2E5
905-456-1906
Alternatively, cheques or cash may also be given to the tournament directors at registration
on the day of the tournament.
Teams: There is a limit of three teams per school (six debaters). However, it may
be possible to bring a fourth team if space permits.
Judges: Each school must bring one judge per team. Judges may be teachers,
administrators, debate coaches or experienced/graduated debaters. Our aim is to provide
panel judging in as many rounds as possible, but that can only be done with judging
contributions from your respective debating communities. It is preferable that parents of
debaters who do not have prior judging experience act solely as spectators, not as
adjudicators, in order to avoid bias.
I hope to see you there!
James Luchak
Staff Advisor
James.Luchak@PeelSB.com
Order of the Day
The Peel Debates
Saturday, 30 May 2015
__________________________________________________________________________________________
9:30 – 10:00 am
10:00 – 10:30
10:30 – 11:30
11:30 – 12:30
12:30 – 1:00
1:00 – 1:30
1:30 – 2:30
2:30 – 3:00
3:00 – 4:00
4:00 – 4:30
Arrival and Registration
Briefing for Judges and Debaters
Resolution and Pairings for Round 1
Round 1: Prepared
Round 2: Prepared
LUNCH
Resolution and Pairings for Round 3
Round 3: Impromptu
Resolution and Pairings for Round 4
Round 4: Impromptu
Tabs and Awards
THE PEEL DEBATES (2015)
Nil Magnum Nisi Bonum
North Park Secondary School
REGISTRATION FORM
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
School Name: _______________________________________________________________________________________
School Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Staff Advisor: _______________________________________________________________________________________
Phone number: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Email: ________________________________________________________________________________________________
TEAMS:
Team A:
Debater 1:
Debater 2:
Dietary Restrictions:
Team B:
Debater 1:
Debater 2:
Dietary Restrictions:
Team C:
Debater 1:
Debater 2:
Dietary Restrictions:
Team D:
Debater 1:
Debater 2:
Dietary Restrictions: