Latest news with #Calandra
Cision Canada
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Cision Canada
OCSTA Statement Regarding Provincial Supervision of School Boards
TORONTO, June 27, 2025 /CNW/ - The Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association and the province's 29 Catholic District School Boards, share the government's commitment to good stewardship of resources, accountability and fiscal responsibility. While acknowledging the appointment of supervisors at four school boards, we were pleased to hear Minister Calandra's recognition that, "most boards across Ontario are doing the right thing." Building on recent productive conversations, we look forward to on-going discussions with Minister Calandra and Ministry of Education officials regarding the unique circumstances of certain school boards as well as, challenges associated with rising sick leave costs, special education and student transportation funding. As the locally elected representatives of the Catholic community, Catholic School Trustees remain united in their conviction to "place Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church at the centre" of students' learning experiences.
Global News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
Ford government sends supervisors into more Ontario school boards, sidelining trustees
The Ford government will sideline trustees at four school boards, including both Toronto administrations, as the education minister continues a hands-on approach to governance reform. On Friday, Minister Paul Calandra announced he would send supervisors into Toronto, Toronto Catholic, Ottawa-Carleton and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. The Thames Valley District School Board in western Ontario has recently also been placed under supervision. 'Each of these boards has failed in its responsibility to parents and students by losing sight of its core mission,' Calandra said in a statement. 'I will take action to restore focus, rebuild trust and put students first.' The move effectively gives the provincial government control over the day-to-day decisions of those boards, taking it away from trustees elected in October 2022. Provincially appointed supervisors will now make calls ranging from the financial to new bylaws or facilities. Story continues below advertisement Recently tabled legislation — which has not yet been passed into law — will make it easier for Calandra to take control of school boards in the future, allowing him to sideline trustees for reasons not related to financial mismanagement and without a recommendation from a third party. Second wave of school board changes The changes announced Friday follow a major April announcement by Calandra, in which he took over the Thames Valley board and set in motion investigations into Toronto, Toronto Catholic and Ottawa-Carleton. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The latter three, he said at the time, all faced massive financial difficulties. He also set a series of deadlines for the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board to submit a governance plan — and work out how to repay the costs of a $145,000 trip to Italy and an art purchase. Story continues below advertisement In April, Calandra said the Brant Haldimand Norfolk board had spent more than Thames Valley — which put almost $40,000 toward a trip to the Toronto Blue Jays Hotel — but that its finances were ultimately in better shape. It avoided having a supervisor appointed, but was given a 30-day deadline to complete financial and management recommendations, as well as to repay the costs of the trip. 'If that board doesn't do what we are asking them to do, if they don't follow through on the additional recommendations, then I will use the tools that are available to me to take further action,' Calandra said on April 23.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Why bringing school resource officers back to our classrooms will do more harm than good
Education Minister Paul Calandra claims Bill 33, The Supporting Children and Students Act, will make Ontario schools safer. How can that be true when it mandates the return of police to schools? Proposing to bring back the School Resource Officer program, Calandra has turned his back on years of research that tells us that Black, Indigenous and racialized students do not feel safe attending schools with a police presence, that police in schools does not reduce the incidence of violence, but they do prop up the school-to-prison pipeline. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Global News
16-06-2025
- Business
- Global News
Ontario quietly signs new affordable housing deal with feds
The provincial and federal governments quietly signed a fresh Ontario affordable housing deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars after months of tense back-and-forth and threats to scrap the funding altogether. Shortly after Doug Ford's new cabinet was sworn in March and with Mark Carney installed in the Prime Minister's Office, Ottawa and Queen's Park signed off on a deal to work together on new housing. Details of the need to sign the new agreement were contained in a handover binder prepared for Ontario's new housing minister in March and recently obtained by Global News using freedom of information laws. The same agreement had caused months of grief the previous year as two housing ministers traded barbs, accusations and threats. Last year, the federal and provincial housing ministers clashed repeatedly over the National Housing Strategy – a bilateral, long-term agreement to build affordable housing. Story continues below advertisement The fund provides money to provinces for their affordable housing strategies. It is designed to run for 10 years, with milestones to renew the funds. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Then-Canadian Housing Minister Sean Fraser wrote to his Ontario counterpart, Paul Calandra, in March 2024 to demand 'urgent' action on his affordable housing plan, accusing Ontario of failing to deliver thousands of new units. The letter kicked off back-and-forth jabs, where Ottawa rejected Ontario's various affordable housing plans, claiming it was refurbishing old units and not building new ones. The federal government said it would withhold $357 million in fresh funding until it was satisfied. The federal government eventually said it would sidestep Ontario and give the money straight to local service managers in the province instead. At the time, Calandra said that was exactly what he wanted. 'For weeks, we've been saying, 'It is distributed through our service managers,'' he said in May 2024. 'Now, the big, bad federal Minister of Housing is going to punish Ontario. Do you know how? By distributing the money the same way we have done it for the last 35 years: through our service managers.' After the snap winter election, Calandra was shuffled from housing to education, while Fraser is now the justice minister. A briefing binder prepared for incoming Ontario Housing Minister Rob Flack in March 2025 said one of the first decisions he would have to make would be to sign off on a new federal-provincial agreement to ensure affordable housing dollars continue to flow. Story continues below advertisement 'Ministry staff are reviewing federal input and will bring forward options for the Action Plan for Minister's decision following the election,' the briefing binder, accessed via freedom of information laws, said. Sometime in March, the two governments came to an agreement. 'The National Housing Strategy (NHS) bilateral agreement signed with Ontario runs from 2019/20 to 2027/28,' a federal spokesperson said. 'The targets and outcomes for funding available under the agreement were mutually agreed upon in March 2025 through a three-year Action Plan for 2025/26 to 2027/28. This ensures the continued availability of federal funding for Ontario.' Flack's office indicated he wanted to reset the relationship with his federal counterpart after a tense year. The latest agreement will prioritize rent-assisted units, according to the Ontario government.
Vancouver Sun
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Ontario education minister steps in to prevent erasure of Sir John A. Macdonald, Ryerson and Dundas from Toronto schools
The Toronto District School Board has been stopped from erasing the names of Sir John A. Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson and Henry Dundas from its schools. The new legislation, introduced by Ontario education minister, Paul Calandra, on May 29, will require a board to apply to the minister before changing the name of an existing school. If a board began using a new name on Jan. 1, 2025 or afterward, the law would still enable the minister to require a board to apply for approval. Then it will be open to the minister to approve or reject the new name. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The legislation, Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025 , takes aim at school board accountability, in particular financial mismanagement. 'I should be able to move quickly when it is very clear that a school board has lost its way. The legislation I introduced today, if passed, would allow me to do that,' Calandra posted on X. I should be able to move quickly when it is very clear that a school board has lost its way. The legislation I introduced today, if passed, would allow me to do that. The legislative basis for shutting down the TDSB effort is the prevention of boards from 'misspending dollars meant for education on wasteful things, such as the time and resources that the TDSB put into the renaming initiative,' says Allan Williams, executive director for the Canadian Institute for Historical Education (CIHE). 'The CIHE is very pleased with the draft legislation introduced by Minister Calandra yesterday that would give him the authority to prevent the misguided attempt by the TDSB to remove the names of Macdonald, Ryerson and Dundas from the three Toronto schools,' says Williams. 'We have been calling on the Ontario government to take the steps necessary to prevent or overturn the schools' renaming, so we're happy today and thank Minister Calandra. But draft legislation can take time to become law, so we urge him and the Ford government to move quickly on this.' Earlier this year, the CIHE called on Premier Doug Ford to intervene and prevent the TDSB from removing the three names. It also sent a representative to a meeting of the TDSB's Planning and Priorities Committee. Those efforts seemed to be for naught, as the board announced in late February that it was going ahead. Williams says the CIHE petition to stop the TDSB will stay online for signing until the proposed legislation is a done deal. Historian J.D.M. Stewart calls the government's move 'a rebuke of the TDSB and its flawed process for renaming these schools, a process that inexplicably did not include consultation with historians.' On a positive note, Stewart says, this is 'an opportunity to learn more about our history. The last several years have been filled with misinformation and misunderstanding.' The new legislation was hailed by education consultant Paul Bennett in a post on X. 'Historic School Names Saved in Toronto! Ontario Education Minister @PaulCalandra intervenes to halt erasure of John A. Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson and William Dundas from Toronto schools,' he wrote on Friday. Breaking News: Historic School Names Saved in Toronto! Ontario Education Minister @PaulCalandra intervenes to halt erasure of John A. Macdonald, Egerton Ryerson and William Dundas from Toronto schools. The @tdsb as been stripped of its powerto change the names. #cdned #ONTed The move came just two days after the Ontario government decided to remove the plywood box surrounding John A. Macdonald's statue at Queen's Park , restoring it to public view. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
